Mentoring Success Effective Strategies and Process Prepared for the Walmart Foundation, AIHEC, HACU, and NAFEO Student Success Collaborative Meeting at Sitting Bull College – September 8011

Learning is the purpose, process and product of successful mentoring Mentors and Mentees are both accountable for the learning that takes place through this partnership. This requires the establishment of a strong collaborative relationship and clear, measureable goals.

The Power of Goals Successful mentoring starts by: Establishing a relationship i.e., getting to know each other; Working together to establish clear, measureable goals; and, Developing an action plan to achieve those goals. Well-defined goals drive the learning in a mentoring relationship. Goals that are too broad can result in a lost of time and attention. Goals that are too narrow and specific can result in becoming a task list of “to dos.”

Strategies for Successful Mentoring

Spend time getting to know your mentee Think back to mentor relationships in your personal life and what worked for you and what did not work. Be clear about what this relationship can do and what you want in this relationship. Consider what you are able to contribute to the relationship. Think about the institutional challenges you faced and how they are different from your mentee challenges. Reflect on how this mentoring relationship can succeed.

Meet with your mentee face-to-face on a regular basis Take advantage of this first meeting as it is designed to help you develop a foundation from which to work. Exchange as much information as possible with your mentor college(s). Share mentoring experiences with each other. Determine what your mentee needs, wants, and expects out of this relationship. Candidly share personal assumptions and limitations. Discuss personal/learning styles.

Always have a meeting date on your calendar Decide how often you will meet face-to-face, by conference call, Skype, or e-mail check in. Agree on a format for discussion with your mentee; formal agendas, topic-driven agendas, check-in conversations, and so forth. Use a journal or meeting notes to help you stay focused, monitor progress, and capture follow up items. Talk about accountability “hot buttons” with your mentee (e.g., how to safe guard confidentiality)

Keep focused on achieving goals and not just day to day challenges. Mutual responsibilities are clear. Mentoring goals have been established and they are measureable. Criteria for success has been articulated. A workable strategy for dealing with challenges and obstacles is in place.

Follow through on your commitments and hold your mentee accountable for his/her commitments. Check in with your mentee regularly and ask for feedback to determine if the pace of learning is satisfactory. An action plan is in place to move forward.

Be open to learning and new approaches Encourage your mentee to solicit feedback from multiply sources.

Periodically reflect on what you and your mentee are learning. Provide timely support, offer a vision of possibility and create appropriate challenges that facilitate learning.

Provide regular feedback and seek feedback from your mentee. Balance candor with compassion in providing feedback. Regularly evaluate the quality of the mentoring relationship. A high level of trust is maintained.

Use your time effectively. Time together is used productively.

Expect to make mid-course adjustments.

Facilitation and Feedback Skills- These processes are essential to enhance learning and to build productive relationships.

Facilitation Skillful facilitation promotes learning, reflection, and insight Mentors skilled at facilitation ask their mentees deep questions designed to evoke insight and provide perspective.

Three Keys to Effective Facilitation Questions: The right type of question can facilitate deep learning e.g., open vs. closed question Open questions start with – how, why, what – Used to encourage and show interest in variety of ideas, create interest and motivate your mentee, or to handle conflict or defuse a dominant position. Closed questions start with Does, Can, Should – Use to establish a position or learn facts, to help a mentee who is “stuck”, to establish agreement, or to contain a dominant individual.

Use of other questioning techniques Reverse Questions – To encourage reflective thinking e.g., instead of answering a question ask what they think. Relay Questions – To draw out the expert or to assess the feelings of others e.g., when asked a question, ask others to respond to a question. Probing & Paraphrasing – To encourage deeper and expanded thinking e.g., “what else did you learn from that situation?”

Three Keys to Effective Facilitation 2. Attributes of the facilitator: Necessary to show flexibility and openness to learning. As a mentor, you may not agree with the mentee’s point of view but a willingness to respect a different perspective is critical to creating a shared learning environment. 3. Positive Reinforcement: Facilitators who validate the mentee’s perspective help support both the learning and the relationship. This encourages the growth and development of the mentee.

Facilitation Guidelines Use a variety of approaches to enhance learning Use questions that tap into different learning styles Show flexibility and openness to new ideas Be aware and respectful of needs and cultural differences

Feedback Mentoring depends upon effective feedback. Generally, feedback in the workplace is less than candid. Mentees need to count on getting honest and constructive feedback. Most people are uncomfortable providing candid feedback. This is essential and it needs to be addressed

Asking for Feedback Regularly build feedback into your conversations. Example: Ask about the relationship, the learning process, and the progress toward meeting learning goals.

Giving Feedback Feedback needs to be candid to be effective. Be specific and descriptive Share your observations Provide examples Be non-judgmental Focus on behaviors, not personality Be authentic and sincere Balance candor with compassion

Receiving Feedback The purpose of feedback is to change behavior. The validity of the feedback needs to be acknowledged for change to occur. When receiving feedback, encourage: Active listening Keep a positive attitude Summarize the understanding of what is said Share feelings about the feedback

Feedback Guidelines Communicate in real time Maintain two-way dialogue Be specific and detailed Provide balanced and fair input Focus on learning and behavior change Continually check for understanding Ask your mentee for suggestions about best ways to provide on-going support

Expectations of Project Mentors shall: Provide advice to institutions in the context of professional judgment regarding retention/graduation Ensure that the institution understands the context in which consulting advice is given and does not regard such advice as a guarantee of increased retention and/or graduation.

We ask that: Mentors not: Advertise their status as a member of the Project for the purpose of building a consulting clientele. Engage in consultation to the extent that it results in excessive conflicts of interest. Give advice to institutions on how to “meet” required standards relating to student retention and graduation for the purposes of accreditation; nor Imply definitive answers on accreditation policies and procedures.

Confidentiality Reminder Members of the project mentor team are reminded that confidentiality is an integral part of the process. Members of the team may have access to sensitive information in order to conduct project work. The confidentiality of this information will be protected by the team in conjunction with participating institutions during all discussions and visits. Unless otherwise specified, confidentiality extends to all materials related to this project.

Credits The majority of this information was adapted from materials obtained from the Center for Mentoring Excellence. www.centerformentoringexcellence.com