Mr Jos Finer, University of St Andrews Dr Emma Compton-Daw, University of St Andrews Making the most of mentoring Briefing session for the Early Career.

Mr Jos Finer, University of St AndrewsDr Emma Compton-Daw, University of St Andrews

Making the most of mentoring

Briefing session for the Early Career Academics’ Mentoring Scheme

ObjectivesBy the end of this session you will:

• Be familiar with the background and characteristics of the cross-institutional Early Career Academics’ Mentoring Scheme

• Be aware of key characteristics of mentoring as a developmental partnership and of the underlying principles of successful mentoring

• Be familiar with mentoring agreements and with a range of mentor/mentee expectations

• Be aware of the stages of mentoring partnerships and the structure for a typical meeting.

What is mentoring?

Card sort exercise and discussion

?

Accept

Reject

No consensus

What is mentoring?• Directive (advice given)• Solutions focused• The mentors and the

mentee may hold the answers

• Based in present and future• Commitment to specific

actions• Uses questioning, reflecting

and clarifying skills

Developmental relationships:

• Mentoring

• Coaching

• Counselling

Mentoring partnership stages

Provisional matching

Confirmed matching

Briefing/training

Mentoring begins

Application

Scheme published

Mentoring develops

Mentoring ends

Evaluation

Underlying principles

VoluntaryMentee driven

Personal responsibility Trust & confidentiality

Developmental & collaborative

Protected time

Finite

Outside line management

Mentor roles

Sounding board

Supporter

Coach

Advisor.

Critical friend

Networker

Teacher

Mentoring skills

Active listening & questioning

Analysing & problem solving

Reflecting & summarising

Giving feedback

Supporting and challenging

A mentor can help a mentee to

Set realistic targets

Clarify/express ideas about career development

Plan own personal and career development

Reflect on performance

Learn from experience

Apply learning from other activities

Develop specific skills

Become more self-confident

Expand networks

“Still keep in touch with mentee … share contacts and helped promote her research on BBC” – 2006 Mentor

“Experience had a very favourable impact on my career” – 2011 Mentee

“After months of rejection my mentor helped me tailor my CV to academic positions, now a teaching fellow… very happy”

- 2008 Mentee

“Mentor recommended some conferences that I didn’t even know existed, met many useful contacts” – 2006 Mentee

Quotes taken from Longitudinal Mentoring Evaluation Report. Daniel O’Hara 2013

Mentoring partnership stages

Provisional matching

Confirmed matching

Briefing/training

Mentoring begins

Application

Scheme published

Mentoring develops

Mentoring ends

Evaluation

Get to know each other

Check expectations

Put at easeDiscuss

mentoring agreement

Mentoring begins:Introductory stage

Mentoring agreements

They’re not legally binding....

......but they are useful

Your expectations

• Mentors: what do you expect from your mentee?

• Mentees: what do you expect from your mentor?

“Mentee expected me to solve all his problems, he had many issues beyond the scope of the scheme”

- 2008 Mentor

Mentor:

Lorna StevensonCo Head of School of ManagementReader in AccountingCo-director, Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting ResearchSchool of ManagementUniversity of St Andrews

Mentee:

Dr Lewis DeanResearch FellowSchool of Psychology and NeuroscienceUniversity of St Andrews

Mentoring Develops:Main stage

Agenda

Review actions from last

Move forward – new business

Agree actions

Agree nextmeeting

A typical mentoring meeting

Review process Celebrate

success

Explore concerns and

problems

Review progress

Feedback: support and

challenge

What’s new?

Mentoring Develops:Main stage

Reflect on process

Discuss and agree future

contact

Review progress against

objectives

Re-assess long term goals

Highlight achievements

Areas for further

attention

Mentoring Ends:Closing stage

I can speak openly to her… She has been very supportive. I think that I have given

her quite a lot to do… Thank you for matching me with her.

Feedback from participants...I found the experience very rewarding, it

made me think about what I want to achieve in my work and ideas about

work/life

I immediately felt completely at ease with my mentor. He gave me excellent advice in how to advance my research profile. This is exactly what I wanted

from the mentoring scheme

My mentor is just the sort of person I was hoping for, with plenty of experience

and suggestions for ways for me to develop as an academic

My experience was very positive – very focused on me as a mentee. My mentor is very professional, but has also put me at

ease

One of the most precious experiences I had since I have joined the

University

Support

Mentoring Scheme coordinators

Dundee

Sandra Oza (OPD) [email protected]

St Andrews

Emma [email protected]

Thanks very much!