GuidelinesHuman Resources [609942]

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Mentoring
GuidelinesHuman Resources
Organisational Development Training and Diversity

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Contents
What is Mentoring? 3
When to use Mentoring 3
What is a Mentor? 4
Why Mentoring? 4
Support for Mentors 5
The Benefits of Mentoring 5
Skills and experience required to be a mentor 6
The Mentoring Process 7
Different roles a Mentor may be required 8
to take
Mentoring using the GROW model 1 0
How individuals learn 1 2
Managing the Meetings 1 3
Making the Meetings Work 1 3
Ending the Mentoring Relationship 1 4

3What is Mentoring?
Mentoring is essentially about helping people to develop more effectively. It is a
relationship designed to build confidence and support the mentee so they are able
to take control of their own development and work.
Mentoring is not the same as training, teaching or coaching, and a mentor doesn’t
need to be a qualified trainer or an expert in the role the mentee carries out. They need to be able to listen and ask questions that will challenge the mentee to
identify the course of action they need to take in regards to their own development.
The following definition provides a useful insight:
off-line help by one person to
another in making significant transactions in knowledge, working or thinking
(Clutterbuck & Megginson 1995)
Off-line means an individual who is not the mentee’s direct line manager. A mentor
is different from a line manager in that they will not have direct responsibility for the mentee’s work performance but they will be responsible for encouraging the mentee to work towards their own individual objectives and be a motivating guide for the mentee on their journey.
When to use Mentoring
Mentoring can be used for a wide variety of situations and different points in someone’s working life for example:
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Induction for a new s tarter*.
• Individuals working towards promotion.
• S taff who have changed roles in the department or across the organisation.
• S taff on structured learning programmes for example ILM programmes.
• Changes to job roles for example following a restructure.
• Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
*Guidance on the role of a buddy during induction is available at:
http://www.mmu.ac.uk/humanresources/pdf/general/guidelines-for-new-starter-
buddy-or-mentor.pdf

4What is a Mentor?
A mentor is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as an “experienced and trusted
adviser”. This description reflects how we would like to see mentors work with
their mentees. Your role as mentor will cover at least some of the following:
• Lis ten
• Ask q uestions to help develop your’s and the mentee’s understanding of a
situation or problem
• Pr ovide information and knowledge and share informal networks
• Pr ovide advice on career development
• Offer differ ent perspectives
• Pr ovide support and encouragement
• Pr ovide an insight into your work and career
• Offer guidance and ad vice in regards to qualifications
• Be a sounding boar d
• Be a critical friend
• Encour age self reflection
• Help mentees identify ar eas for development
As a mentor you will have the opportunity to use your experience and knowledge
in a facilitative manner to support the development of the mentee. However, the responsibility for making things happen and putting plans into action lies primarily with the mentee – not with you.
Why Mentoring?
• It has flexibility – mentoring can happen in so many ways and under lots of different circumstances
• Is an off line activity- it is not a role carried out by the mentee’s line manager although mentoring conversations can become part of day to day activity and don’t always need to be scheduled
• It relates to work and the job
• It is individual – each relationship will be unique to those two individuals involved
• It is people centred
• It provides a feedback system- feedback is central to mentoring and is a great tool to enhance and embed learning
• It is broad in focus – it should meet the needs of the mentee and mentor
• It is not exclusive – but actually complements other methods of learning

5Support for Mentors
At times you may feel that you need a little support yourself as a mentor; you may
have faced or be dealing with a situation with your mentee and be unsure how to
approach it. There are a range of support methods available to mentors.
• Your colleagues and peers
• Your own mentor if you have one (a good idea if you are going to mentor
others)
• Organisation Development & Training team
• Mentor development sessions/programmes – including ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching & Mentoring
• On-line resources and tools, including information provided for MMU’s mentormatch scheme for students at:
www.mentormatch.mmu.ac.uk
The benefits of Mentoring
For the Mentor For the MenteeFor the Department/
Organisation
• Job satisfaction from
seeing others develop
• Increased recognition from
peers
• Challenge and stimulation
• Having identified future
potential of the person
they are mentoring
• Learning and developing
yourself from the process
• Satisfaction at the success
of the mentee
• Recognition of your
mentoring skills by the
Department and the University
• Motivation from self
development and responsibility• Increased self confidence and
motivation
• Support and challenge in
formulating a clear sense of personal direction
• Understanding of the formal
and informal culture and
structures at MMU
• An opportunity to develop
skills by observing others
• A source of knowledge and
experience to tap into
• A sounding board to discuss
ideas and approaches before
action is taken
• An opportunity to think about
things in a different way• Increased levels of
motivation from those
involved
• Employees who have a clear
direction and clear objectives
• Improved communication at
all levels and across levels
• Sharing of knowledge
and experiences and best
practice as standard working practice
• Tangible and measurable
gains if work tasks and projects are used as a development tool
• Innovation and continuous
improvement in the way that employees approach their work

6Skills and experience required to be
a Mentor
• Self Awareness – you should have a good understanding of your own
strengths and development needs.
• Organisational know-how – you should know how to get things
done at MMU and how things work.
• Credibility – you should have personal and professional credibility, this may include being a member of relevant organisations.
• Accessibility – you should be willing and able to commit sufficient time to your mentee to offer support and guidance.
• Communication – you need excellent communication skills and be
able to understanding the ideas and feelings of others. You also need to
be a great listener.
• Ability to empower – you should be able to create an working
environment where it is safe for individuals to try out different things, allowing them to contribute in different ways.
• A desire to help others develop – you should understand how individuals develop and have experience, either formally or informally, of developing others.
• Inventiveness – be open to new ways of doing things and different ways of working.
• Empathy – Ability to empathise with others.
• Understanding –You should be prepared to try to understand different
perspectives, approaches and possibly backgrounds of different mentees.

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The Mentoring Process

Mentor Sessions
• review experience
• identify objectives
• provide feedback
• identify strengths and
achievements
• identify areas of
development
• explore options
• coaching on specific
areas if required
• discuss professional
issues
• agree support needs
• set targets for future actions
• create opportunities for mentees to gain
experience
Moving On
• identifying when the
relationship reaches a
natural end
• review and sign off objectives
• helping the mentee to
identify the next steps (possibly a different mentor)
• Self reflection
and review on the
effectiveness of the relationship by both
parties

Initial Meeting
• explain the purpose
of the mentoring
relationship
• the format of the
meetings and how
these will work
• what you will commit to and your role
• what is expected from
mentees and their role

8Different roles a Mentor may be required
to take
Councelling
Coaching
Facilitating
Networking

9Coaching Core skills needed:
• Listening with an open mind and suspending
judgements
• Being able to see the issue from a different
perspective, that of the mentee
• Identifying behaviour that needs to change
• Helping mentees to recognise their own individual
strengths and areas of weakness
• Providing constructive feedback
• Setting projects that will stretch the mentee
• Ability to clarify so both parties have a shared
understanding
• Being able to take a mentee back through and
experience, to help them to evaluate it and to
recognise what could have been done differently.This is a very active role for the
mentor where you will be working with the mentee to encourage them in the development of relevant skills and attitudes for the future. The focus of the coaching role is on the ability to help the mentee see beyond the current situation and to identify what the future can look like and what needs to happen to help achieve this. This is helpful in setting goals and identifying what actions an individual needs to take next.
Counselling Core skills needed:
• Listening – withholding comments unless it helps
the mentee to clarify their thoughts
• Focusing on observable behaviours rather than
personality traits
• The ability to handle negative information without
driving the mentee into an emotional corner
• Avoiding unconstructive arguments
• Being able to help move the mentee into
constructive problem solving mode
• Knowing when to call in specialist advice.In counselling mode the mentor acts as a sounding board what the mentee is solving a problem or making a difficult decision. As a confidant, the mentor helps the mentee to clarify the real issues involved and to see the bigger picture.
Networking Core skills needed:
• The ability to define and understand networks, what
adds value and why
• Undertstanding key areas you need to influence and
who are the key individuals
• PCreating opportunities for mentees to meet others
who will help provide information or opportunities to help develop gaps in the mentee’s knowledgeIn the role of networking the mentor alerts the mentee to the use of contacts both formal and informal outside of the official structure of the department. They also explain how these individuals can add value to the mentee in the achievement of their
goals..
Facilitating Core skills needed:
• Being clear about what needs to happen and why
• Recognising potential barriers and what causes them
• Provides advice and guidance on ways to overcome
barriers
• An understanding of the politics of management
• Smoothing the path for mentees for example by
providing introductions, backing ideas and spreading
the word on projects the mentee is working onThe mentor as facilitator takes action that will indirectly smooth the way for something else to happen. This could be as simple as passing on a phone number or making an introduction to someone who will be helpful for the mentee either now or in the future. By facilitating you are starting a process that will help the mentee to pursue their goals.

10Mentoring using the GROW model
The GROW model is a good way to structure a meeting with your mentee. You can
either start with the goal and work logically through the model or you can move the model around, starting with the reality and then the goal, if this works best. Remember to always finish with the way forward and ensure that this is set and owned by the mentee. The model is outlined below.
GOALS
OPTIONSWILL REALITYWhat?
When?
Where?
How Much?What will you do? What do you want?
What is happening now? What could you do?

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Goal – Get the mentee to focus on the future and on what THEY want to achieve
as an individual. It is not where you think they should be aiming.
Reality – Ask questions to help the mentee establish where they are now. If
you work with the individual directly you may need to give feedback on actual
performance. Encourage the individual to get feedback on their performance from
their direct line manager if you do not work with them directly as this will help
them to identify their current reality.
Options – help the mentee to identify what different options are open to them
and ask questions to help them explore the reality of each of these options. Share
your own experiences if the mentee is struggling to identify sufficient options and
beware of being too directive.
Way Forward – Encourage the mentee to design an action plan which they have
set and encourage them to set SMART objectives, objectives that are specific,
measurable, achievable and realistic for the mentee in their current position and
that have clear timescales attached.
Remember to
• Focus on what the mentee needs
to achieve
• Listen more than you talk
• Support and encourage the mentee
• Encourage the mentee to adress
challenging issues
• Keep an open mind.
Don’t
• Take responsibility for the action
plan
• Assume that what worked for you
will work for your mentee
• Take action on behalf of the
mentee unless you jointly agree
that this is the best course of action
• Assume you know what the
problem or the answer is.

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How individuals learn

ACT
RECALL
AND
REFELECT
INSIGHTSNEXT STEPS?UNDERTAKE
NEXT
ACTION
This diagram shows the process of learning. By following the diagram through we
are able as individuals to embed our learning and part of the role of a mentor is toencourage mentees to work through the learning cycle. An individual’s learning
style will determine where they will naturally want to spend the most time. For
example, activists will want to spend time moving onto new experiences and willhave to be encouraged to recall and reflect on experiences they have just beenengaged in. Theorists will be reluctant to try out new things until they have allthe information they can possibly find. Pragmatists will want to think about andhave lots of time to plan how they will approach things. Reflectors will need tobe moved on from reviewing what has happened to trying out new experiences.Understanding the learning style of your mentee is helpful in showing you the partof the learning cycle they will lean towards naturally and where you may needto give a little push. An easy way to find out an individual’s learning style is to
ask them to decribe something they learned how to do and how they did it. For
example, riding a bike, learning a musical instrument, learning a language or howthey approach building flat packed furniture. This give you a good indication knowabout how your mentee likes to learn.
It is helpful to also recognise your own learning style so you are aware of the
areas you may gloss over as they don’t suit your own natural way of learning. For
example, an activist mentor may get frustrated with a mentee who is a reflector or
a theorist. Something to watch out for!

13Managing the Meetings
The mentor should take on the role of a facilitator during the meetings using
questions and a non directive, non judgemental approach. Following the GROW
model will be really helpful during the meetings. The purpose of the meetings
could be for some or all of the following reasons:
• Reviewing and identifying the mentee’s experience
• Helping the mentee to identify individual strengths and areas for
development
• Discussing professional and work issues
• Agreeing what support is required
• Exploring the options open to the mentee
• Coaching on specific skills
• Supporting the mentee to set achievable realistic and stretching
action plans
Remember meetings will not be the only form of contact with your mentee. Telephone calls, emails and brief on the job discussions will also be a part of the process but you should have an agreed number of scheduled meetings with your mentee set to fit around the action plan of the mentee, and around specific points in their development.
Making the Meetings Work
1. Ha ve a clear structure and purpose. Before the meeting consider the structure
and the time parameters. These should be agreed during the initial meeting when you are contracting with the mentee. Having a clear structure and
purpose in mind will be the best and most effective use of your time and their
time.
2. Think about the content of the meetings. Ther e should be a balance of looking
back and reviewing the mentee experiences and reviewing if objectives
set have been met or, if not, why not? There should also be a balance of
discussing current issues and thinking about the future and ensuring the
mentee sets realistic objectives for their action plan.
3. Keep to dates and times set. It is easy to let the day job get in the way but try
to focus on the benefits to everyone (including the organisation) of engaging in this process. Give it the priority it requires to be successful.
4. Enjo y the experience!

14Ending the Mentoring Relationship
It is important to consider how the mentoring relationship will end. Discuss the
reasons for the ending of the relationship with your mentee. In certain situations
the end date is agreed during the initial meeting but it is not always possible in all
situations to be able to identify a clear end date. Reasons for ending the mentoring
relationship can be varied:
• The relationship has achieved its objective
• You feel that your mentee is confident and ready to move on
• You have tried but the mentee is not responding
• The programme is coming to a close
• The relationship isn’t working successfully and both parties wish to move on.
It is useful and good practice for the mentor and mentee to revisit the original goals and objectives and compare them with actual outcomes. This allows both parties to review what progress has been made and to acknowledge what has been achieved. It is useful to encourage the mentee to find another mentor for the next stage of their journey and you may even be able to suggest individuals the mentee may like to approach. However you should take time to evaluate how you feel you have developed during the relationship and what lessons you have learned.

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