WPDN | Mentors
BENEFITS | EXPECTATIONS | YOUR ROLE | CHARACTERISTICS | ABOUT YOUR MENTOR | HOW WILL YOU BE MATCHED | MANAGERS ROLE
We welcome your interest and applications for the upcoming 2013 Program.
Downloads and Resources
FACTSHEET | COMING SOON
From Previous Development Sessions
- Mentors: Active Listening - presentation and handout
- Mentors: Coaching Skills - presentation and handout
Benefits gained for the Mentor
- Personal satisfaction from helping and watching someone grow and develop
- Knowledge of the institution from a different perspective (that of the mentoree)
- Skills in the sharing of information and appreciation of the process
- Improved listening, counselling and coaching skills
- An opportunity for personal reflection on their own career/ personal aspirations
- Recognition and appreciation of their own skills and increased confidence
What happens in a mentoring relationship that enables personal and professional growth to occur?
- The power of the mentor BELIEVING in the mentoree's ability and encouraging the mentoree to do what they think they cannot do
- The power of the mentor LISTENING to the mentoree
- The power of receiving TRUTH in the form of constructive feedback.
Benefits of Mentoring for the organisation
- Staff retention (research indicates that employees who receive effective coaching and mentoring plan to stay with the company for at least the next 5 years)
- More effective staff
- Demonstrates a commitment to training and development
- Tangible and measurable gains if work tasks or projects are used as developmental tools
- Improved communication across the organisation Increased motivation
Expectations
Use this list as thought starters, it is far from exhaustive. The important thing is to own your expectations for this mentoring relationship and communicate them clearly to your partner. If it helps print this list and select or modify the expectations that are important for you, including these in your Mentoring Contract.
| As a Mentor | As a Mentoree | Mentors and Mentorees |
|---|---|---|
| Assure your mentoree that your discussions are private and make sure they are. | Trust your mentor that your meetings will be kept private. |
Trust your mentor relationship, be open and honest with each other |
| Give your full and undivided attention to your mentoree when you meet | Give your full and undivided attention to your mentor when you meet | Be flexible with meetings and each other |
| Know the mentoree is responsible for their own learning and actions. | Be responsible for your own learning and actions | Participate as a partner in the mentoring process |
| Listen to and understand your mentoree | Listen to and understand your mentor | Be patient with each other |
| Allow the mentoree space to be themselves and find their own feet. | Don't look to your mentor for all the answers | Collaborate with each other in the mentoring process |
| Assist your Mentoree with goal setting and achieveing these goals | Set goals and actively work toward accomplishing these | Have realistic expectations of each other |
| Be willing to ask questions and gather information | Tell your mentor how they can be more helpful | Discuss issues in a specific, descriptive, non-judgmental manner |
| Keep an up-to-date journal | Keep an up-to-date journal | Keep your commitments |
| Be supportive and encourage your mentoree | Actively seek feedback from others | Make our discussions as positive as possible |
| Allow for, give your mentoree choices | Take calculated risks | Consider different opinions |
| Be willing to consider alternative methods | Be willing to try new things and keep an open mind | Accept and value each other as being different. |
| Offer help when I can but let your mentoree sometimes figure things out on their own | Figure things out for myself when I can | Take appropriate actions |
| Acknowledge the Mentoree, their skills and personal attributes | Learn comments are constructive criticism, of ideas not of me |
Be open and honest with your mentoree |
| Allow your mentoree to tell you when things aren't working | Don't be afraid to tell your mentor if things arent working | Try to openly disagree without being disagreeable |
| Don't point blame at your mentoree | Don't point blame at your mentor | Try to understand all sides of an issue |
| Try to attend all Mentor Workshops | Try to attend all Mentoree Workshops | Practice new skills that I have been taught |
| Don't have any hidden agendas | ||
| Dont make promises you cannot keep | ||
| Always do what you say you will do | ||
| Do not over commit |
The Role of a Mentor
Mentor's role in career development can include:
| Communicator | Counsellor | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Encourage two-way exchange of information | Works with the mentoree to identify and understand career related skills, interests and values | Helps to clarify performance goals and developmental needs |
| Listens to career concerns and responds appropriately | Helps mentoree evaluate appropriateness of career options | Teaches managerial and technical skills |
| Establishes an environment for open interaction | Helps mentoree plan strategies to achieve mutually agreed upon goals | Reinforces effective on job performance |
| Schedules uninterrupted time to meet with mentoree | Recommends specific behaviours that need improvement | |
| Acts as a sounding board for ideas and concerns | Clarifies and communicates organisational objectives and goals | |
| Serves as a role model to demonstrate successful professional behaviours leads by example |
| Advisor | Broker | Referral Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Communicates the informal and formal realities of progression within the organisation | Expands the mentoree's network of professional contacts |
Identifies resources to help mentoree with specific problems |
| Recommends opportunities for training | Helps bring together mentorees who might mutually benefit helping one another | Follows up to ensure effectiveness of resources |
| Recommends appropriate strategies for career direction | Helps link mentoree with appropriate educational and employment opportunities | |
| Reviews development on a regular basis | Helps mentoree to identify resources required for career progression | |
| Helps mentoree identify career obstacles and the appropriate action to overcome them |
Characteristics of Effective Mentors
| Mentors need to exhibit the following characteristics! | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ability to generate trust | Strong communication skills |
Willingness to be responsible for another person's growth |
| Willingness to take risks | High self-confidence | Patience and tolerance |
| Trust others and can be trusted | Being innovative | Being accessible |
| Have a good understanding of the organisation | Ability to handle conflict | Knowledge of both implicit and explicit rules being a visionary |
| Being honest when giving feedback | People oriented | Value their organisation and their work |
| Respect subordinates | Cares about others | |
Consider those characteristics in which you feel you could use some development
About You as a Mentor
A mentor will usually be in a more senior position in the University than you and will have experience, knowledge and skills in certain areas that match with your goals and aims. They will provide support or advice in areas identified by their mentoree, on decisions concerning work, life or career, developing options and strategies and for coping with particular situations or problems. They may assist in skills development, networking and confidence-building. Above all, a mentor is someone who listens, is accessible and approachable and acts as a guide, facilitator or role model for the mentoree.
How Will You Be Matched?
Selected participants will be matched as closely as possible to each mentoree’s identified needs and the available mentors. Your response to the Expression of Interest Questionnaire will be used in the selection process. Please note that your responses may be provided to your mentoree.
The Role of Your Mentorees Manager/Supervisor in Mentoring Programs
It is important to consider the role of your Mentorees Managers/Supervisors in Mentoring Programs. Sometimes their supervisor may feel that a certain measure of control has been taken from them in regard to overseeing their performance.
It is vitally important that their supervisor understand that they still have their day to day operational performance management.
It is the future career of the Mentoree, with all of its questions and development activities, that becomes part of the brief of being Mentor.
Mentors need to:
- Be aware of potential Line Manager concerns and work through them together
- Assist with any conflicts that may arise, where mentoring activities may interfere with day to day work
