Activity week 9

Activity week 9

This online activity will help you to: • Ensure plans required for personal growth are developed by mentors and menteesYou must read the material and watch the videos provided to you to assimilate the knowledge and terminology required for this subject After reading and watching the video link provided, you will be required to answer few questions which will be checked by your trainer. Although it is not part of your assessment tool, answering these questions are mandatory as your answer will provide to the trainer that you have understood the subject. At this stage of the mentoring relationship, mentors and mentees should focus on development needs identified in Stage 2. This may include activities such as mentors providing advice on their mentee’s curriculum vitae or job application, mentors using a ‘real’ project to explain how a Development Plan works or how to read scaled plans and drawings, advice on how to present to a Development Assessment Panel, etc. It may be appropriate for mentees to take along examples of their work so that mentors can assist with particular development needs, such as report writing.Mentors and mentees should not feel that discussions must be limited to the mentee’s development need. Specific issues and interesting discussion points naturally arise and should be explored as needed. These may include current work projects or university assignments, current planning topics in the media, specific workplace issues, job searching advice, etc. Mentors and mentees may also wish to discuss all development needs concurrently, rather than focusing on one each meeting.Career DevelopmentTowards the end of the twelve month period, mentors should focus on the career direction of the mentee. Mentees may want assistance from their mentor to clarify their preferred career direction or to develop a career plan. It is important to evaluate an appropriate career direction based on the mentee’s likes/dislikes, strengths and developments needs as well as skills, values and interests. Partnerships may consider career placement opportunities/work experience, specific project experience, further study options, expanding networks or other avenues of establishing/developing a career.Cultivate rapport, mutual trust and teamwork in mentoring relationship Training and SupportYour mentoring program represents your brand or your organisation’s support structure. Failure to deliver a successful relationship most of the time will have a very real impact on your member’s/employee’s impression of your brand. If there is an admin or a participation fee, being out of pocket could exacerbate disappointment due to relationship failure (offer money back guarantees for failed mentoring relationships).In terms of training a common trap in mentoring program design is to overlook mentor and mentee training. Professor David Clutterbuck’s research has found that only about 1 in 3 mentoring relationships actually work if there is no training, whereas 2 in 3 will work if the mentor is trained. When you train both the mentor and mentee you get a 90%+ success rate.Make sure your mentors understand what their role actually is as a mentor and what expectations there are of them from the mentee and your organisation. They may be great managers, but not have the listening and communication skills that will make them masterful mentors. A balance of instruction and role playing of mentoring scenarios is usually appreciated by first-time mentors.Mentees need guidance in how to prepare for their mentoring experience and how to get the most out of the time they have with a mentor. We find that mentees are often unclear about their own goals for the program and need some guidance to help them focus.In terms of support getting the balance is difficult and depends on the industry or workplace. Some groups may want less support in the form of materials and process; others may need to be guided through the whole process. A pilot program can help you determine your group’s preferences. It is advisable however to have key milestones and touch points that make sure that the relationship has started, hasn’t fallen over and wraps up neatly. These can take place as an email, telephone call or an event.Sustaining the RelationshipIt is important to acknowledge the end of the Mentoring Program at the 1 year milestone, even if the mentor and mentee agree to continue the mentorship after the program. It is a time to formally acknowledge the value of the program, appreciate the time and contributions of the mentors and the lessons learnt by both mentors and mentees. It is important to each reflect on each other’s professional and personal development.:

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tor and mentee training. Professor David Clutterbuck’s research has found that only about 1 in 3 mentoring relationships actually work if there is no training, whereas 2 in 3 will work if the mentor is trained. When you train both the mentor and mentee you get a 90%+ success rate.Make sure your mentors understand what their role actually is as a mentor and what expectations there are of them from the mentee and your organisation. They may be great managers, but not have the listening and communication skills that will make them masterful mentors. A balance of instruction and role playing of mentoring scenarios is usually appreciated by first-time mentors.Mentees need guidance in how to prepare for their mentoring experience and how to get the most out of the time they have with a mentor. We find that mentees are often unclear about their own goals for the program and need some guidance to help them focus.In terms of support getting the balance is difficult and depends on the industry or workplace. Some groups may want less support in the form of materials and process; others may need to be guided through the whole process. A pilot program can help you determine your group’s preferences. It is advisable however to have key milestones and touch points that make sure that the relationship has started, hasn’t fallen over and wraps up neatly. These can take place as an email, telephone call or an event.Sustaining the RelationshipIt is important to acknowledge the end of the Mentoring Program at the 1 year milestone, even if the mentor and mentee agree to continue the mentorship after the program. It is a time to formally acknowledge the value of the program, appreciate the time and contributions of the mentors and the lessons learnt by both mentors and mentees. It is important to each reflect on each other’s professional and personal development.:

A. How would you acknowledge the 1 year milestone?

Celebrations are important and marking the milestones in your mentoring program is an easy way to help people stay engaged and enthusiastic.

Yet it is still easy for people to lose their way so clearly marked milestones will help them stay on track.

In my experience, successful mentoring relationships usually move through these stages:

Rapport – the pair have made contact and established communication;

Purpose – they have set some goals and have a sense of direction;

Progress – there is development and growth; and

Evolution – the mentoring comes to an end or the relationship changes.

B. Your mentoring program represents your brand or your organisation’s support structure— Explain this in detail.

Taking advantage of the expertise and knowledge of experienced employees and professionals can help bring younger or less experienced employees up to speed. This results in better efficiency across the organization when bringing on new employees. In addition, coaching and mentoring can help guide an employee along on her career path resulting in an employee well versed on company expectations. This can help reduce frustrations on a personal level and improve the job satisfaction of the individual, providing a benefit for the organization.

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