A good mentoring programme manager is integral to the success of your programme. It is their energy and enthusiasm for mentoring specifically and for developing others more generally that will drive the programme and keep momentum within it. It is also worth noting that setting up, running and properly supporting a mentoring programme takes a (more…)
The mentee’s line manager is a key stakeholder in the mentoring relationship. The relationship between the mentee and their line manager will be one of the topics of conversation in mentoring sessions. The manager also holds primary responsibility for the mentee’s development – yet they may have little idea of what mentee and mentor are...
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Mentors and coaches need support beyond their initial training in the role, to give them confidence in experimenting with developmental conversations, to give them additional tools and techniques, and to provide opportunities to discuss and learn from their experiences – especially instances, where they have struggled or felt uncomfortable. One of the most common and...
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Read More Using action learning to support coaches and mentors
Although most mentoring relationships within well-designed and well-managed programmes work well, a small percentage don’t. In most cases, the cause is simply a mismatch of personality, or expectations of the relationship and this can usually be resolved without problem, if addressed early on, by re-matching. However, occasionally other, more serious problems occur and it’s important...
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Mentoring budgets are usually quite tight. So there is often a conflict between what you need and what you can afford. Some things are essential. For example, if you don’t have training for both mentors and mentees and some form of continued support and learning over the following 12 months, you might as well not...
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Read More What do we need to include in our mentoring programme?
One of the most useful studies of mentoring programmes comes from Finkelstein and Poteet (2007), who surveyed the (primarily US) research literature and identified five critical characteristics of effective formal programmes. These were (with some additional context fro other research): Finkelstein, L. M., & Poteet, M. L. (2007). Best practices in formal mentoring programs in...
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Read More What does research say about effective formal mentoring programmes
What is the best way is to go about communicating the mentoring programme? If you do not have support from an internal communications department to provide guidance and/or do it for you, here is a suggested approach. It is good to think through each of the following areas: Who This will largely depend on the...
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Line managers sometimes resist supporting their direct reports’ mentoring. The main reasons for this are: Briefing line managers about the mentoring program is an essential part of program design. Briefings should emphasise the reasons for the program, the expected benefits for the organization, and for the team and the manager himself or herself. To counter...
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Few HR professionals are actively hostile to coaching and mentoring. But organisations often experience passive resistance, for a number of reasons: An education programme for HR can make a big difference. This should help them to: Some practical ways of supporting HR include: © David Clutterbuck...
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Read More Gathering support for coaching and mentoring from the HR community
Measurement and Review in Mentoring One of the paradoxes of formal mentoring programmes is that the essence of the relationship is its informality – the ability to discuss in private a wide range of issues that will help the mentee cope with and learn from issues s/he encounters, putting aside any power or status differences...
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