Mentoring Marie Connolly. Why Mentoring in UL Set up initially as a sub group of the Women’s Forum Demand across all genders and all areas Fully integrated.

Mentoring

Marie Connolly

Why Mentoring in UL

• Set up initially as a sub group of the Women’s Forum

• Demand across all genders and all areas• Fully integrated system• 2010 – 23 matched pairs across all

groupings.• 30 trained Mentors

Mentoring Committee• Maebh Barry Nursing & Midwifery• Carmel Bradshaw Nursing & Midwifery• Clare McCracken ITD• Una McInerney Clinical Therapies• Maria Noonan Nursing & Midwifery• Marie Connolly

Mentoring • Mentoring is a Career Management Tool used by

organisations to nurture and develop their staff. • It is a relationship between two people in a work

setting the purpose of which is passing on knowledge and information, sharing wisdom and experience and offering advice and help in a confidential manner.

• It is a relationship where - help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work and or thinking.

• It builds on the formal Mentoring scheme where new employees are allocated a mentor.

Mentoring

• “Offline help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking” (Megginson & Clutterbuck 1995)

• “A relationship, not just a procedure or activity, where one person professionally assists the development of another outside of the normal manager/subordinate relationship” (Abbey)

• “A relationship between equals in which one or more of those involved is enabled to: increase awareness, identify alternatives and initiate action to develop themselves.”(Julie Hay, Transformational Mentoring)

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring Definitions

Creating possibilities and providing guidance and support to others in a relationship of trust; it includes facilitating, bringing visions to life and enabling people to achieve (Henley Management College 2000)

Mentoring versus Coaching • Coaching can be the responsibility of a line

manager who has an immediate and day to day accountability for the learner’s performance while a mentor is rarely a learner’s line manager.

The aim of the Mentoring

• The aim of the mentoring initiative to provide a platform through which experiences can be shared on a one-to-one informal basis thus providing support to people at various stages in their careers.

The aims of the UL Mentoring Scheme are:

• Helping Mentees to build self confidence• Sharing knowledge, skills and experience• Increase cross departmental networking• Help with career planning• Encouraging inclusivity across the

University.

The Matching Process • Pairs will not be matched within the same

Department./Division unless specifically requested.• Job Title and grade – the mentor will generally be

employed at a higher grade (2 grades higher in administrative post – 1 above in academic posts) that the mentee.

• The type of help the mentee is looking for• Preferences in terms of what the mentee is looking for• Activities and interests of both

Support provided by the Mentoring Scheme

• On going training events• Lunch time talks• Training for both the Mentors & Mentees • Support will be provided to any mentoring

pair that requests support• Special Events

The Mentor-Mentee Connection

• The Mentor-Mentee connection focuses on building trusting relationships. Mentees are supported and encouraged by Mentors who voluntarily give of their time.

Purpose of the Training • All Mentors & Mentees must undertake training.• Be clear on what mentoring is and how it is

different that other development interventions• Understand the role and responsibilities of the

mentor and mentees.• Know what needs to happen to make a mentoring

relationship work.

Purpose of the Training

• Understand the areas that mentoring is suitable to deal with and what issue are outside the boundaries of the mentoring relationship.

• Know what can go wrong in mentoring relationships and the action you can take

• Explore the skills necessary in any mentoring interaction.

Benefits of Mentoring • To the Mentee

– A smoother adjustment to a new role or position– Help in acquiring more quickly and comprehensively

the skills and knowledge they need– Help with the necessary choices in the development of

their careers– Access to someone more senior than themselves, other

than their line manager– A greater understanding of both the formal and

informal workings of the organisation

Benefits of Mentoring• To the Mentor

– Increased motivation and self-esteem brought about by the mentoring role

– Greater respect and recognition from staff in the organisation

– An opportunity to hone and improve their own management skills, particularly advisory and supporting skills in a safe environment

– An opportunity to learn about the perspectives and views of others less senior than themselves and in other parts of the organisation

– A chance to influence and improve communications with others in the organisation

Benefits of Mentoring• To the organisation

– An opportunity for staff to be encouraged, supported and motivated to reach their potential

– Greater job satisfaction, morale and commitment by mentors and mentees to their work

– Improved work performance of mentees– Leading to a more stable culture– Improved communication through linking different

departments and levels within the organisation– Established routes for effective career development that

can aid the recruitment of high calibre staff

Who should Mentor?

• A mentor is usually – A more experienced and senior person than the mentee– May have technical or professional expertise– Not the Mentee's manager– Those who are interested in the development of others

and who enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences

– Have considered the time commitment, emotional resources and sustained effort that may be involved.

The Role of the Mentor• To provide guidance on how to acquire the necessary

knowledge and skills to do a new job• Advice on dealing with any administrative, technical or

people problems.• Information on ‘the way things are done around here’• Help in obtaining access to information and people within

the University and outside• Mentoring in specific skills e.g. managerial skills,

leadership, communication skills etc.• A parental figure with whom mentees can discuss their

aspirations and concerns and who will lend a sympathetic ear to their problems.

UL Mentoring Scheme

• The UL Mentoring Scheme is a Mentee led scheme.

Roles & Responsibilities

• For the mentoring relationship to be effective the mentor and mentee need to be clear about their respective roles and responsibilities.

• They also need to consider the role of the mentor in relation to the Mentee's line manager.

• Without clarification misunderstandings may occur that could impact on the effectiveness of the relationship.

The relationship • Mentors will:

– Meet with mentees for confidential discussions– Prompt mentees to draw up their own plans– Prompt mentees to make contact with others

who might be able to provide useful information or advise

– Prompt mentees to approach their line managers to seek specific support for development activities

The Relationship

• Mentors will not:– Take action on behalf of mentees– Intervene on behalf of mentees– Take part in any succession planning

discussions that relate to their own mentee – Discuss the mentee with the line manager

The Relationship • Mentees will:

– Meet with mentors for confidential discussions– Access other sources of information and advise as may

seem appropriate– Share information about their strengths, weaknesses,

ambitions and so on openly with their mentor– Take responsibility for drawing up their own

development plans– Take responsibility for appropriate contact with their

line managers about development issues– Initiate their own development plans

The Relationship

• Mentees will NOT– Expect their mentor to take any directions on

their behalf– Attempt to force their line manager into

account by quoting their mentor.

Line Managers

• Will allow mentees time to attend mentoring sessions

• Will provide whatever support is feasible to the development of the mentee

• Will not attempt to talk to the mentor about the mentee.

Mentor QualitiesA Mentor is someone who:

– Listens– Is an opposite (at times)– Uses non-judgemental questioning– Offers different perspectives – Has specific knowledge– Cares; is warm; wants to help– Can relate to issues of the mentee– Sees patterns– Has experience– Is trustworthy/ensure confidentiality

Mentee Qualities• Motivated• Articulate expectations and own objectives• Meets commitments• Accepts feedback and acts on it• Listens • Self-aware• Open Trustworthy• Understands scheme objectives/process

Roles for Mentors

• Clutterbuck & Megginson (1999) identified 7 roles for Mentors:– Sounding Board – give feedback by drawing

one experience.– Critical Friend - The mentor fulfilling this role

is able to challenge the mentee to question his or her own motivation and behaviour and give honest feedback that would be more difficult for colleagues to give.

Roles for Mentors– Listener – Listen and give encouragement– Counsellor – An emphatic listener able to use

reflective and questioning skills to help the mentee to analyse problems in a dispassionate manner but knowing when expertise in this area may need to be called in.

– Career Advisor – Helps the mentee think through career options, plan personal development towards defined careers goals and lessons learnt from previous careers.

Key Role of Mentors

• To provide:– 1. Support– 2. Challenge – 3. Guidance

Support Role • Give the right level of encouragement and

recognition to the mentee.• Listen actively and work to understand the mentee• Question to help clarification of key issues• Identify and build on strengths• Disclose facts, feelings and opinions to help to

build rapport and trust• Encourage the mentee to set his or her own

challenges• Offer help and guidance.

Challenge • Ask challenging questions and help the mentee to

have stretching targets.• Embrace the critical friend role identified by

Clutterbuck & Megginson. To provide effective challenge, the mentor must:– Question level or risk others are taking – too little or

too much?:– Highlight possible avoidance or negative behaviour or

thinking– Set challenging targets for the mentee– Offer alternatives – different opinions and approaches

Guidance

• Offer guidance drawing on the experience they have to offer the mentee

• Offer examples drawn from their own experience

• Give guidance on possible options• Offer access to their network where

possible to extend understanding of new areas and provide networking opportunities.

Establishing Trust & Respect

• Careful preparation at the start of the relationship will help build rapport

• Trust is reciprocal, if the mentor trusts the mentee and vice versa the relationship is more likely to build on trust.

• Once trust is lost it is very difficult to rebuild• The importance of valuing and respecting

difference

Preparing for your mentoring partnership

• What do you want (from the mentoring relationship, what learning outcomes are you aiming for etc.)

• How will you know when you have got there?• What strengths do I have in what I do now, that

will help me get this outcome?• How much time can I expect from my Mentor?• But a Mentoring Agreement in place

Preparing for your mentoring partnership

• Agree a Mentoring Contract Below are some clauses that you might wish to include in your contract.

• Expectations (of each other, of the relationship, of what both parties will learn)

• Confidentiality (should any third parties be informed, and if so, what can be discussed with third parties about the relationship and about the discussions?)

• Duration of relationship• Meetings (frequency, duration, location – in office or

outside the workplace?)

Preparing for your mentoring partnership

• Broad purpose and goals• Review and evaluation (of relationship, of mentor/client,

and of client’s progress)• Roles and responsibilities (preparing for meetings, setting

the agenda, ensuring the meetings take place, setting goals) • How feedback will be handled (trust and openness) • How you will end the relationship (celebration,

disengaging)• What actions we will take if things go wrong in our

partnership.

Information/Contact Details

www.ul.ie/hr - Learning Development & Equal Opportunities – Mentoring (FAQ’s)

Members of the Mentoring Committee