Janet Asks: How do I provide adequate support to mentors?

Answer: Build it into your plan and budget.

Supporting mentors is vital to their effectiveness. It takes time, money and effort and needs to be factored into the mentoring program.

Personal contact, general communication and group sessions will help mentors do their job well.

Talk face-to-face, by phone or email. Contact every mentor, regularly. Have a general email circular periodically. Get

them together for debriefing several times during the program. Invite them to activities and workshops provided for mentorees, where appropriate. You may also have "mentor the mentor" sessions, yourself or with an external specialist.

Mentor Tip Sheets are available from:

www.mentoring-works.com.

Regards,

Ann Rolfe

Mentoring Works

www.mentoring-works.com

Michael Asks: How do I convince mentees that contacting their mentor is not 'bothering them'?

Answer: Provide evidence from mentors that they enjoy, value and welcome contact.

If mentees are told, clearly and unequivocally that contact is welcome, expected and their responsibility, they will do it.

It may come as a surprise to those mentored that mentors do, in fact, get something out of mentoring. Your job is to act as a go-between to get this message across.

Collect testimonials or quotes from mentors in previous programs right from the beginning. Include quotes from current mentors in a regular newsletter or email to participants. Reiterate the message in your personal contact with each participant. Monitor the frequency of mentor-mentoree contact and discuss it with both parties.

Regards,

Ann Rolfe

Mentoring Works

www.mentoring-works.com

Donna asks: How do I ensure mentees remain committed?

Answer: Talk to them often.

Two-way communication keeps people engaged. If they are ignored they easily fade away.

Have personal contact with each participant as well as mass communication with all participants. Find out what's going well and what's not. Be there for them and provide assistance where needed.

Use all available mechanisms to deliver information and obtain feedback, frequently. Get face to face if you can. Pick up the phone, email and send hard copy. Supplement personal contact with newsletters, articles and general circulars. Encourage networking. If you can, have social events. Celebrate successes and publicise them within and outside the organization. Run workshops or group meetings on topics they nominate.

Regards,

Ann Rolfe

Mentoring Works

www.mentoring-works.com

Paul Asks: How do I get managers to give mentoring a priority in their busy work schedule?

Answer: Ensure the CEO communicates that mentoring is a priority. 

While CEO's remain committed and communicate their expectations, managers get the message.  

You will have to reinforce your CEO's commitment by constantly providing evidence of both the need for and the 

positive results of mentoring. You'll also have to ensure his/her desire for manager involvement gets airplay. 

 

You will have "before" and "after" statistics in the business case for your mentoring program. Collect and report progress frequently. Never let up "selling" your program to all stakeholders. Constantly communicate through every available channel – talk, write, use visual aids – to keep in their face about mentoring's value and the CEO's commitment to it. 

Kylie Asks: How do I ensure a workable match between mentor and mentee?

Answer: Train both in relationship skills 

 

It is skill, the ability to relate and communicate, not "chemistry" personality or technical expertise that makes 

mentoring work. 

 

Help both parties understand that the mentoring process is about using decision-making, problem-solving or goal-setting and action planning techniques. Build their skills in these techniques and mentoring will work. 

 

Run workshops to explore expectations and boundaries and develop skills. Train mentors in the mentoring process, to use listening skills and facilitative as well as authoritative communication. Teach mentorees how to get the most out of the relationship. Then provide regular follow-up. 

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Ann Rolfe.