Mentoring systems are they worthwhile?

[AVienet]

We have a mentoring program which is relatively unstructured and have recently been looking at a system to manage the matching process. Has anyone else got one of these or had experience with one and found it worthwhile?

[carrol]

Greetings, I comemenced using an unstructured mentoring process and found it did not assist either me or the mentee re measured outcomes; adhering to what had been agreed; how the mentee is expected to improve; etc. The program must be structed for the same reasons, including those who may be monitoring and reviewing the mentees progress - otherwise it is a total waste of time and a world of hurt
Develop (and sometimes sign off) a framework and then then plan
Regards
Ron

[Mark D]

In my experience the key is carefully matching the right mentor to each mentee. Otherwise it can be very hit and miss.

[michaelakassar]

Hi Evienet,

I've had some experience with mentoring and feel that with some structure and good matching, it can be very beneficial.

Anyone who is being mentored must have the right attitude, and be willing to improve their current skills, learn new ones, and of course, work on their weaknesses. They should also approach their mentor proactively and suggest projects, activities, and training courses etc without the mentor having to do all the work. Everything they do needs to have mutual benefit to them and the employer.

The mentor must be someone with plenty of experience on the job, and have a genuine desire to help others so they not only improve, but also add value to the employer. Empathy, patience, and understanding are also essential qualities, along with being able to find creative solutions for problems.

Both mentor and participant should be able to apply strategic thinking. For example, if the person being mentored would like to undertake a task/project etc, they should be able to explain to their mentor how the activity is likely to benefit the department or organisation, along with any possible risks. The mentor should make sure they teach their employee to apply this approach to all aspects of their work and decision making.

At the beginning of the mentoring process, everything should be documented, and agreed on. Reviews should take place at regular intervals as things can change quickly, depending on how the person in question is going.

If you'd like further assistance just drop me a line.



Cheers
Michaela

[Pete]

Hi
I work in a large (2400 employee) Health provider. Many of our health profesionals (nurses, psychologists, social workers, OTs etc) have requirements for "supervision" which is really a combination of mentoring and coaching, delivered by senior profesionals. This works very well, largely for a couple of reasons -
1- the majority of those providing the mentoring have had some training or formal introduction to their role so have base skills and awareness of the process. (many have been providing supervision for years and are very good at it). Being able to, and actually providing, supervision to colleagues, is seen as part of good practice for professionals and recognition of their own ability.
2- the majority of those being supervised had, as part of their core professional training, some sort of brief introduction to the supervision process, so they are clear about their role and responsibilities. This helps with a common language between the two participants in the session.
3- a contract is signed up between supervisor/supervisee (or mentor and mentee) so there is clear agrement on the roles, boundaries, language and expectations prior to supervision commencing.
4- supervision it self is seen as a core component of "reflective practice" and supported by employees as critical to their ongoing professional and personal development. It is not seen as a sign of weakness that they are being mentored, rather a positive sign that they are continually seeking to develop themselves.

We have recently introduced a mentoring structure for participants of our corporate leadership development programme (8 structured training sessions on leadership/management subject over a year). Participants (identified leaders in need of development and also selected High Potentials) are also assigned an executive level mentor. Mentors are taken through the Corporate Coach U "Coaching Conversation" training to develop skills and process to have structured coaching sessions. This sees each participant developing solutions rather than being given answers. This (ideally) ensures the mentoring sessions are productive with durable outcomes.

Core to success of mentoring is having structure for the session and skills of the mentor contributing to positive outcomes. Otherwise you may be relying on luck in being assigned a mentor who instinctively knows what they are doing.

Cheers

Pete