By Coaching4Results

This pack includes What is mentoring? Characteristics of a mentoring relationship Benefits of mentoring to mentee and mentor Benefits to the business Guidelines for a mentoring relationship Who makes a good mentor? Role of a mentor Mentoring is a relationship …

what is mentoring? One person helping another to achieve something A more experienced, knowledgeable person guiding a less experienced individual’s development without any personal gain Mentoring is a process that always involves communication and is relationship based Mentoring is a process for transferring work, career and professional knowledge, and providing emotional support Mentoring is set around a specific goal

Characteristics of a mentoring relationship One-to-one Informal/ flexible – outside the ‘line’ Non-judgemental Confidential between two parties No self gain for mentor Voluntary Support-giving Sharing advice and providing suggestions Giving encouragement Inspirational Open communication Providing effective feedback Has an end goal/result to be achieved Learning/development opportunity for both mentor & mentee

Benefits of mentoring A mentee will receive: Individual recognition, encourage and support with the aim of increasing your self- esteem and confidence. Horizons will be broadened as you challenge yourself and explore new options. Increased awareness of ‘how to’ get the most from your careers as well as best methods for approaching new situations A mentor will receive: The feel good factor of passing on your knowledge and skills and increased confidence as level of competence are confirmed. A reputation of wanting to help others and of being open and honest. A satisfaction of knowing you have been instrumental to the career development of less experienced employees

Benefits of mentoring to the business Can develop talented and high potential employees in proven methods already used by experienced people It’s timely – meetings happen to fit development programme It’s cost effective – time being put to good use It’s tailored – resulting in actions for employees It’s recognised – individuals will appreciate a tailored approach and learning from others Help build relations with experts in your field (work for other organisations)

Who makes a good mentor? A mentor needs to be Enthusiastic, energetic and can inspire others Committed to giving their time and energy as well as being completely open about what’s worked well for them and also experiences that haven’t worked so well Good at communicating and remaining respectful to others’ ideas Able to identify strengths and weaknesses and stretch their mentees out of their comfort zones Able to make decisions and explain reasons for them Supportive and build a good relationship with mentee Empathetic especially around emotional concerns Confident, yet humble Clear when providing guidance Great all-round listeners – body language as well as words

The Role of a Mentor Discuss expectations of mentoring agreement up front including: Responsibilities of mentee – who does what/where (set meetings etc) Expectations of mentee – what they will do as a result of mentoring What you will do – sharing experiences, providing advice, keeping discussions confidential Agree and fully understand goal mentee needs to achieve, what and by when – what does success look like? Encourage mentee to speak and explore options before providing advice/ suggestions/your experiences Respecting the line relationships- Line Manager may need to be at first meeting Provide a relaxed and open environment Agree assessment method and assess either at intervals at end to identify success measures

Mentoring is a relationship between two parties, so if it’s not working, end it! Mentoring is a relationship between two parties, so if it’s not working, end it! Mentoring is a relationship between two parties, so if it’s working, Enjoy making the difference to someone less experienced than you! Mentoring is a relationship between two parties, so if it’s working, Enjoy making the difference to someone less experienced than you!