Facilitating,
implementing and administrating a mentoring programme in your workplace
The
problem with mentoring training programmes in South Africa:
Good
mentoring relationships have the potential to change people’s
lives for the better, for ever. Yet, these vital relationships often
flounder before they have had the chance to have their effect. Here
are some reasons why:
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Day to day work pressures see mentors and protégés stop
meeting after a while and the personal and professional goals they hoped
to achieve don’t materialise
>
Mentors and protégés go through the motions of completing
the administrative requirements of their relationship without getting
into a dynamic results-producing phase
>
Mentors and protégés lose their way and it becomes unclear
what they are supposed to be doing
So
what needs to be done?
One
proven way of making mentoring work is to:
Appoint
a professional mentoring programme facilitator, and thereby
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Ensure you avoid the common mentoring mistakes
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Continuously discover and nurture talent within your organisation.
Why
clients like working with us
>
Our experienced facilitators work easily and comfortably across all
levels within an organisation.
>They
are helpful in facilitating a mentoring programme that works well and
delivers expected results.
We
have dedicated ourselves to assist organisations to create powerful,
easy to maintain and effective mentoring programmes.
What
are the duties of the mentoring programme facilitator?
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Ensures the objectives are stated quantifiably and determines to which
extent they are being achieved or not
>Provides
guidelines, which mentors and protégés use to determine
the way of working and expectations for their own relationship.
>Ensures
the relationships are working and achieving productively
>Communicates
knowledgeably and continuously to the programme champion/sponsor
>
Is available as an information /materials resource (time management,
negotiation skills, influencing strategies, conflict management skills,
empathy, assertiveness, stress handling, diversity sensitivity, confronting
skills, giving recognition, creating motivational environments, listening
skills. Etc.)
>
Is a courteous reminder for meetings, commitments, objectives, deadlines,
milestones, checkpoints and corporate values.
>Participates
in review meetings to track progress
>Encourages
>Provides
coaching and mentoring and giving feedback skills where needed.
>Helps
word agreements
>Facilitates
team building, or joint events and workshops with all mentors and protégés
>Challenges
partnerships to stretch
>Notices
if partnerships are faltering and proposes alternative arrangements
in such cases
>Assists
with evaluation at the end of the period
How
does your organisation stand to gain by introducing a mentoring programme?
> It’s a cost effective way of developing company-specific
skills without the cost of training courses
> A less experienced person can become productive quickly by a overcoming
a protracted learning curve
> Costly mistakes can be avoided when mentors point them out proactively
> New recruits stand better chance of being vested well
> The organisation enjoys better communication through its different
layers
> Healthy networks and friendships are formed which lead to better
co-operation
> Jaded experts can enjoy a resurgence in motivation when their skills
and know-how are used and appreciated by others
> Good staff can be retained better
> Specific targeted groups can be identified and developed at a fast
pace
> An organisation can become a learning organisation with pooling,
growing and transferring its wisdom
> The gap between training courses and degrees can quickly be transformed
into something of value by real world application
> Talent is not wasted but nurtured, developed and retained
> It can help individuals in an organisation overcome their reluctance
to change
> Succession plans can continuously form
> Benefiting participants can develop a sense of loyalty to their
organisation
What
motivations are there for mentors to participate in a mentoring programme?
> Personal and job satisfaction
> Being recognised for their experience and knowledge
> An enhanced feeling of self worth as they help develop others
> It’s an opportunity to ensure the mentor is indeed at the
forefront of his or her game, or if not, it’s a wake up call to
update
> The opportunity to encounter fresh perspectives
What
kind of people make good mentors?
People who:
> Have a positive mindset towards being a mentor
> Who have skills and experience to pass on to others
> Like interacting with others
> Have strong interpersonal skills
> Are patient
> Have respect in the organisation
> Have good communication skills
> Have a good knowledge of the organisation and are bought into its
values and strategic objectives
What
is expected from the protégés/mentees?
> To carry out tasks, assignments and projects within agreed upon
time frames
> To seek guidance in his or her professional development
> To set out to achieve new skills
> To apply the skills
> Act on expert advice
> To maintain confidentiality
What are the risks to watch out
for?
> A lack of commitment from managers, mentors and protégés
> Protégés who see being mentored as a right to which
they are entitled
> An absence of a system with accountability and monitoring
> Burdening participants with a paperwork overload
> A lack of training
> A lack of consultation during the evaluation stage of a mentoring
programme
> Ineffective consultants and facilitators
> Unclear goals and expectations
> A resistance to change
> Inflexibility and with diversity
> Poor selection of Mentors
> Gatekeepers such as PA’s, supervisors
> Line managers who resist their report spending time with a senior
person
> A culture of mistrust and suspicion
Considering
that there is seldom a perfect match, who works best with whom?
> People who are geographically close
> People who can work together easily
> Personalities that click
> When both parties had some choice in the matching arrangement
> Cross functional mentoring makes for more relaxed relationships
than career specific mentoring which can be to be stressful
What
considerations need to be taken into account when introducing a mentoring
programme in an organisation?
> Is there a senior manager who will actively champion the project,
and possibly be a mentor as well?
> Is there agreement by necessary stakeholders that mentoring activities
will be taking place across reporting lines and across departments?
Which
stakeholders need to be consulted to ensure a successful mentoring programme?
> Exco
> Line managers
> HR department
How
do mentors and protégés decide which are the key areas
to focus on?
> Ask: What are the strategic areas the organisation wishes to excel
at?
> Which skills will enable that the organisation to achieve its strategic
goals?
> Mentors and protégés need to focus on those key,
high leverage skills and work out specific objectives to enable the
organisation to achieve its strategic goals.
To
what extent are the processes documented?
To a great extent: Documented events include:
> Strategic objectives as communicated to mentors
> Records of goals agreed upon
> Records of meetings and review meetings
Who
are the mentors accountable to?
> Exco
> The senior Mentor Champion
If
mentors are selected for their expertise and experience, what do they
need to learn from a facilitator?
> How to conduct the goal setting conversations and review
> A skill set grouped as “Emotional Intelligence”
> How to foster discovery and growth in the protégé
> Skills relating to giving recognition, assertiveness
> Coaching skills
> How to work within the limitations and parameters of a mentoring
programme
> Maintaining rights of protégés and mentors
Does
it make financial sense: What is the possible return on investment?
> Compare the cost of just one bad appointment and the need to make
a reappointment
> Try and put a number to the cost of a labour dispute, low morale,
high absenteeism, high wastage and high mistakes
> Try and put a Rand value to the protégés being a
bottom line expense, versus being contributors to the organisation achieving
strategic outcomes and goals
What
are the next steps?
> Establish a steering committee of managers and interested stakeholders
to whom mentors will be accountable
> Decide on implementation structures
> Approve a budget
> Appoint a programme facilitator
> Clarify the strategic expectations from the mentoring relationships
> Identify mentors and protégés
> Match mentors and protégés
> Train all the necessary participants
> Mentors and protégés jointly agree upon specific
goals they will achieve and plan for learning needed
> Implement the plans and monitor the process
> Regularly communicate and evaluate and fine-tune the process
> Where appropriate, publicize achievements
> Conclude the project
> Evaluate the outcomes of the project against the declared goals
