Touching Base, Tuning In and Tailoring Mentoring

Why do we want mentoring? What do people gain from it? Realistically, what can you deliver with a mentoring program?

Many of us are passionate about mentoring. We have witnessed the profound difference that conversations and relationships, focused on better outcomes for individuals make. Therefore, the value of mentoring is manifest. Unfortunately, not everyone shares our view or gives it the high priority we might want. So I recommend:

• Touching base – revisiting why you want mentoring and what you are trying to achieve with it;
• Tuning in – finding out the needs and concerns of the people you hope to serve; and
• Tailoring Mentoring – designing a program that delivers what people want, aligned with principles and values of your unique context.

Touching Base – Who Needs What?

I work in the corporate world and for me the starting point is always, why mentoring? What outcomes, for individuals and the organization, are we striving for? Even if yours is a community program, there is a higher purpose for mentoring. It’s a means to an end. So look beyond the benefits for the individuals involved (as important as they are) to see the vision, the end result, the outcomes of mentoring.

Mentoring empowers people. It enables them to make changes, to do things that make a difference and achieve better outcomes for themselves, their organization and/or society.

If we believe in empowerment and want to facilitate it through mentoring, we have to find out what people and organisations/society needs and what mentoring can deliver in that context. That means we may have to put aside pre-conceptions and tune in to the people we aim to serve.

Tuning-in – How Do You Know?

Be careful. Mentoring is popular - a buzz-word, often considered a magic bullet or a panacea – but the truth is, it can’t fix everything!

I’m concerned when mentoring is aimed at advancing women’s careers when they may actually need good, affordable childcare. I worry about our government’s investment in mentoring for apprentices who may need a decent wage so they can complete their trade and I cringe when mentoring is used as a cheap alternative to proper training or management. Such issues need a comprehensive response, mentoring may one strategy but it is not the complete answer.

So, before you implement mentoring find out what the issues are. A colleague, Bruce Ward uses the acronym, ASK – Always Seeking Knowledge, in his work in holistic management, to emphasis the need to delve deeply into symptoms and causes. I like to ask a lot of questions of my corporate clients about their strategic objectives and what they want mentoring to contribute to them. Then I talk with the prospective mentorees, as well as their managers and potential mentors before we tailor mentoring to suit.

Tailoring Mentoring – Design and Align

Recently, I helped design mentoring aimed at retaining highly skilled and valued employees in a helping profession. The first thought was that we’d assist them with career development. However, early discussions soon revealed that career opportunities were actually quite limited. So mentoring that focused on career might well result in less rather than greater retention! Conversation with the program manager allowed her to come up with a better focus that produced a win for mentorees, mentors, employers and clients and increased retention. We tailored the program to meet the real needs of all concerned.

Another program aimed at career progression for targeted group employees, started with extensive consultation with them. This resulted in a program that has three separate streams available to choose from. The icing on the cake is that they are committed and have ownership. Mentoring hasn’t been imposed upon them, the planning process created enthusiasm, even from those not directly participating.

I align mentoring with the principles of adult learning. I value empowerment and respect and conversations that create insight. These guide my approach to mentoring. You may have other principles and values you want to align with. I urge you to examine them as you design your program because that’s how mentoring works!