Mentoring - How To Get The Most Out Of A Mentor

Quite often the mentor is confused with the coach, teacher and the trainer.

You must be quite clear on what you are looking for, otherwise the inevitable will happen - you will be disappointed and importantly, the experience and subsequent value to you and your organisation normally available from a mentor will simply not appear.

The fundamental differences between (and therefore, what are you buying) are:

• Teaching - direction; teaching; testing
• Coaching - mixture
• Mentoring - no specific direction; personal learning; contemplation; reflection

Transitions

The following table highlights the transitions from each stage:

The characteristics to look for in a “good” mentor

• They must be outside the power relationship
• They have developmental maturity
• They have a broad and deep experience in career and life
• They are a good communicator - can they listen?
• They are a life-long learner
• They enjoy mentoring - no, it’s not another consultancy
• They work to establish and maintain rapport with the “mintee”

How to work with a mentor (does that mean you are the “mintee”?)

• You are committed to learn about yourself
• You are open to new views
• You are honest and trustworthy
• You have a good sense of yourself as a person
• You have a good sense of your developmental needs
• You have modesty balanced with a desire to achieve

How the mentor can work with your organisation and its culture

• They understand that the role of your organisation is to learn, not just to produce
• Understands that organisations do not learn - people do
• Sees time spent learning about oneself as valuable both for the organisation and the individual
• Believes in developing people not just rewarding them

Your organisation must be ready for the mentor

• You and senior management must support the mentor
• You and the organisation are clear as to why it has a mentoring program
• Financial and human resources are committed to the mentoring program
• “Mintees” are briefed on the realities compared to expectations
• The mentoring program is integrated into other developmental programs

OK, before we start - the ground rules

• Who the program is for
• What is “mentoring” for the organisation
• What is being developed, skills, knowledge, contacts, the “mintees” potential
• What is it you want the mentor to do - comment, advise, challenge, open windows
• The formality/informality of the program
• What will be done if a mentoring relationship fails

The mentoring program - did it work - how do you know?

Successful programs often have these “symptoms”:

• Motivated mentors and mintees
• Popularity of the program
• Internal promotion - external promotion
• Positive feedback from line managers
• Positive feedback from peers of mentors and mintees

Unsuccessful programs often suffer from:

• Too much/too little selling of benefits
• Lack of organisational support
• Princes and princesses syndrome
• Professional/personal jealousy
• Resistance by line management
• Broad cultural and organisational issues
• Gender and cultural difference issues

Mentoring - Peculiarities and realities

• Some organisations are too small for formal mentoring programs
• Often an external mentor is required
• In some organisations, growing and learning often means moving on
• Many mentoring programs are based on skill development and not personal development