Mentoring handbook A guide for mentors
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Contents Introduction to the Mentoring Handbook 5 A definition of mentoring 5 Roles and responsibilities 6 The mentors
6
The mentees
7
Matching Mentees and Mentors
7
Working together: getting the most out of mentoring
8
The first meeting
8
Suitable venues
9
Working ethically
9
Confidentiality
9
Administrative Systems
9
Appendix 1: Map for developmental mentoring
10
Appendix 2: Questions for mentee reflection
12
Appendix 3: Mentoring working agreement
13
Appendix 4: Ethical code of practice for mentoring
14
Appendix 5: Mentoring session record sheet
16
Reading List
17
Notes
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A one-to-one, non-judgemental relationship in which an individual voluntarily gives time to support and encourage another. This relationship is typically developed at a time of transition in the mentee’s life, and lasts for a significant and sustained period of time. Mentoring: The Home Office definition
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Introduction
A definition of mentoring
This handbook describes the mentoring programme and aims to ensure that mentors and mentees have a clear understanding about what is involved.
Definitions of mentoring vary according to context and the intended outcomes. In western culture the traditional model for mentoring has evolved from the ancient Greek story of how Odysseus left his son in the care of an older wise man, called Mentor, as he set out on his legendary journey. The name mentor then entered the language meaning ‘a wise and trusted advisor’. Traditionally then – in organisations and the professions – a mentor was seen as an older/more senior colleague who would take a more junior colleague under there wing and advise and support them. In the past decade mentoring within the professions has grown and the model itself has evolved. In Europe – mentoring is now seen as a formally managed developmental process where the relationship between mentor and mentee is more equal, where there is a clear contract for development and where both parties are recognised as gaining from their involvement. Developmental monitoring is the model used in this pack and the definition is a broad one – ‘Person support in the context of continuing education.’ Freeman (1999)
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Roles and responsibilities This section clarifies the roles and responsibilities of all those involved.
The Mentors Within this model of developmental mentoring the mentor’s primary role is to facilitate reflection and learning in relation to the outcomes identified by the mentee. Key concepts in this approach to mentoring are therefore: >> Facilitating reflection, learning and development, rather than acting as an expert or teacher. >> Supporting self-directed learning >> encouraging the mentee to be responsible for identifying their own development needs and finding ways to address them.
>> Contact the nominated mentoring coordinator when faced with difficulties. >> Attend network meetings to feedback and evaluate the programme. >> Being mentee centred (as opposed to mentor or problem centred) – focusing on the mentee and what they need from a session. >> Offering information when it is appropriate as opposed to giving advice or telling mentees what to do.
For mentors this will then often involve stepping outside of their role as the ‘experienced expert’ and moving into a more supportive role; encouraging mentees to find their own expert and expertise. For experienced professionals this can be the most challenging dimension of mentoring – it is often very difficult to resist an opportunity to give mentees your answers! Within the mentoring relationship key tasks for the mentor include: >> Managing the mentoring framework – planning sessions, managing time, managing endings. >> Building the climate for trust and effective working – establishing rapport, active listening, being supportive. >> Facilitating reflection, learning and planning – supporting, challenging, giving feedback, encouraging creativity, developing action plans. See Map for Developmental Mentoring: Appendix 1
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Matching Mentees and Mentors The Mentees Mentees identify a need to have some reflective time/space in which to step back from the day to day work in order to review, consolidate the learning from their experiences and to plan their development/ career steps. Mentees are responsible for: >> Cooperating with their mentor (see matching process) >> Attending the initial contact meeting and subsequent meetings >> Identifying their development needs (in discussion with their mentor) and working with the agenda for the mentoring sessions >> Undertaking any work agreed between sessions
Matching is not an exact science – as a mentee/mentor the final decision often comes down to – ‘Can I trust this person? Can I talk to this person?’ In making the selection we will aim to choose someone they think that they can work well with. Research (Clutterbuck, 2001) into what makes effective matched pairs in mentoring shows that if there is too much similarity between mentor and mentee there is likely to be a comfortable relationship but limited challenge and therefore limited change and if there is too much difference then there is likely to be poor rapport and a more cautious approach to risk taking and development. The first contact with the chosen mentor is normally by email or by phone. The purpose of this is to establish whether both parties feel they can work together. If after this initial contact it becomes clear that it is not a suitable match then the mentee/mentor can ask for someone else.
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Working together: getting the most out of mentoring Mentoring relationships work best when the mentor and mentee can establish an open and trusting working relationship with an appropriate balance of both support and challenge. For this to happen both parties need to be clear about the expectations and boundaries of the relationship.
The first meeting The first meeting is particularly important in that it builds the frame and set the tone for subsequent meetings. Here it is important to get to know each other and to establish a clear joint working agreement. The exact content of the working agreement will be unique to each mentoring pair. The discussion at the first meeting is likely to include points such as: >> Expectations of the mentoring relationship – what do both parties understand this to be about >> Desired outcomes – what does the mentee want to achieve through the process of mentoring >> Confidentiality – ensuring that both understand what confidentiality means in this context (see below)
Administrative arrangements – who arranges meetings, where will they be, where (and where not) to contact each other, what records will be kept and by whom. The working agreement pro forma – Appendix 3 – can help focus this first discussion.
Suitable venues This should be decided between mentor and mentee. Wherever is chosen it should be accessible and comfortable.
Working ethically Mentors and mentees are expected to work with a code of practice for mentoring – see Appendix 4.
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Confidentiality
Administrative Systems
Ensuring confidentiality in the mentoring relationship is an important element of developing a trusting relationship and creating a safe space for exploration and learning. Confidentiality includes not identifying the mentee to colleagues, not sharing the content of sessions with colleagues and keeping any records/notes in a safe place.
Record keeping Mentors need to keep records of the mentoring sessions. Brief notes of the issues and outcomes of the sessions should be agreed between mentor/ mentee and copies kept by both. (see pro forma record sheets – appendix 5)
Dealing with problems Sometimes a mentoring relationship does not work well. This can be for a variety of reasons – the need/energy for the sessions may change, the relationship itself is not working well, one party has concerns about the professional conduct of the other. Often the best way to deal with difficulties is to try to talk about it openly. If there is no obvious way to improve a difficult situation then it may well be appropriate to end the contract.
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Appendix 1 Map for Developmental Mentoring ‘Personal support in the context of professional development and continuing education’ This chart shows the development of a mentoring relationship over 4 sessions and highlights some of the different skills and tools which mentors can use at different stages. Relationship
Activities
Pre Meeting
Phone contact basic exchange of info, setting up first meeting
>>
Agreeing to meet
Getting Started
Session 1
>>
>>
Beginning the working alliance
>> >>
Exploration Facilitating insight/learning Developing a Personal Development Plan and action plans
Mentee action, reflection, experimentation Middle Phase
Session 2
>>
>>
Developing & deepening the relationship
>>
Exploration Facilitating insight/learning Developing action plans
>>
Developing the mentee agenda
>>
>>
Supporting and challenging
Session 3
Mentee action, reflection, experimentation
>> >> >>
Exploration Facilitating insight/learning Developing action plans
Mentee action, reflection, experimentation Session 4 >> >> >> >>
Exploration Facilitating insight/learning Reviewing the process Developing an action plan
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Skills
Tools and resources (examples used)
>>
Establishing rapport
>>
Giving information
>>
Listening
>>
PDP’s
>>
Establishing rapport
>>
Life lines
>>
Identifying developmental needs
>>
Reflective cycle
>>
Listening, asking questions, giving feedback, being supportive, facilitating insights and critical reflection
>>
As above and being challenging, being catalytic
>>
Critical incident analysis
>>
Mentee action, reflection, experimentation
>>
As above plus reviewing and giving feedback
>>
Feedback forms
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Appendix 2 Questions for mentee reflection These questions are intended to help mentees begin to clarify what they might wish to use the mentoring process for. Here is a list of questions which many mentees find useful to reflect on as part of developing the agenda for working with a mentor. In this mode of developmental mentoring mentees always set the agenda. >> Where am I now in my education/ life? >> How did I get here? (What have been my most notable achievements)
>> What is working well for me? >> Where are my challenges/ difficulties? >> Where do I wish to be in 1, 3, 5 years time (choose which is meaningful at present)? >> What might I need to change/ develop in order to get there? >> What do I want from this mentoring process? >> What do I want from my mentor?
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Appendix 3 Mentoring working agreement Peer Mentoring Agreement (Formal) This agreement outlines boundaries of the mentoring relationship agreed between: Name (as Mentor) Name (as Mentee) Our agreement is to:
1. Meet for
hours x
sessions between now and
2. We will meet at (venue)
3. The main focus and intended outcomes of our work will be
4. Other important agreements Signed as mentor
Date
Signed as mentee
Date
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Appendix 4 Ethical code of practice for mentoring 1. The mentor’s role is to respond to the mentee’s needs and agenda; it is not to impose their own agenda. 2. Mentors and mentees should respect the confidential nature of what is discussed as part of the mentoring relationship. 3. Mentors and mentees should respect each other’s time and other responsibilities, ensuring they do not impose beyond what is reasonable. 4. The mentee must accept increasing responsibility for managing the relationship; the mentor should empower them to do so and must generally promote the learner’s autonomy. 5. Either part may dissolve the relationship. However, both the mentor and mentee have the responsibility to discuss the matter together, as part of mutual learning. 6. Mentors need to be aware of the limits of their own competence in the practice of mentoring.
7. The mentor will not intrude areas the mentee wishes to keep private until invited to do so. However they should help the mentee to recognise how other issues may relate to these areas. 8. Mentors and mentees should aim to be open and truthful with each other and themselves about the relationship itself. 9. Mentors and mentees share the responsibility for the smooth winding down of the relationship when it has achieved its purpose – they must avoid creating dependency. 10. The mentoring relationship must not be exploitive in any way; neither may it be open to misinterpretation.
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DO
DO NOT
1. Treat everyone equally and with respect
1. Permit abusive youth/peer activities (e.g. bullying, ridiculing).
2. Provide an example you wish others to follow
2. Make inappropriate comments, or have inappropriate verbal banter with young people about race, culture, sexuality, gender or disability.
3. Respect a young person’s right to personal privacy 4. Act as an appropriate adult role model 5. Challenge inappropriate behaviour 6. Provide access for young people and adults to feel comfortable enough to point out attitudes or behaviours they do not like, and try to provide a caring atmosphere. 7. Give positive feedback to the young people. 8. Foster an atmosphere where learning is fun. 9. Dress in an appropriate manner to work with young people. 10. Remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well intentioned. 11. Avoid situations where there is only one adult present. 12. Maintain an appropriate professional relationship with the young people. Report and record any concerns you have about the young people in your care to the mentoring coordinator Pamela Clarke, Yane Amos or Ross Blake.
3. Make suggestive remarks/gestures or tell sexist/homophobic/racist ‘jokes’. 4. Play physical contact sports with the young people unless this is part of an organised activity run by a qualified coach. 5. Touch a young person in any way. (Apart from incidents when the child’s safety is at risk, outlined in the managing challenging behaviour section). 6. Reduce a young person to tears as a form of control. 7. Smoke or drink alcohol when you are in contact/supervising the young people. 8. Develop a relationship with one of the young people on the programme.. 9. Jump to conclusions without checking facts. 10. Rely on your good name to protect you. It may not be enough. Don’t believe it could not happen to you. It could.
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Appendix 5 Mentoring Session Record Sheet Name (as Mentor): Name (as Mentee): Date of session: Feedback on previous action points and issues arising
Key themes emerging (including any further development objectives)
Intended action and completion date
Next meeting date: Time: Venue:
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Reading list This is a fairly comprehensive list and it is not expected that you read all of them! Broud D, Cohen R, Walker D (1993) Using Experience for Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press Clutterbuck D and Ragins B R (2002)* Mentoring and Diversity – An international Perspective. London: CIPD Downey M (1999) Effective Coaching. London: Texere Egan G (1994) The Skilled Helper. Pacific Grove: Brookes-Cole Gallwey T (1974) The Inner Game of Tennis. New York: Random House Hay J (1999) Transformational Mentoring. Watford: Sherwood Megginson D and Clutterbuck D (1994) Mentoring in Action. London: Kogan Page Parsloe E and Wray M (2000)* Coaching and Mentoring. London: Kogan Page Byfield C (2009) Black Boys Can Make It. Staffordshire: Trentham Books
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Notes
Contacts Yane Amos yaneamos@amosbursary.org.uk yaneuk@yahoo.com Pamela Clark pamelaclarke@amosbursary.org.uk Steve Brooks sbrooksaui@yahoo.co.uk
Designed by Joel Quartey Tel: 07504 117234