A Career Development Mentor: what should their role be and how can you make best use of them?

Professor Ruth Duncan, Welsh School of Pharmacy

• What is a career/developmental mentor ?

• The nature of the mentor/mentee relationship

• How to maximise the benefit of their current mentor, or to seek a mentor if you do not already have one.

Research Staff Career Development Conference19 November 2007, Cardiff City Hall

Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner referred to as a mentee or protege

Traditionally, mentoring might have been described as the activities conducted by a person (the mentor) for another person (the mentee) in order to help that other person to do a job more effectively and/or to progress in their career. The mentor was probably someone who had "been there, done that" before. A mentor might use a variety of approaches, eg, coaching, training, discussion, counselling, etc. Today, there seems to be much ongoing discussion and debate about the definitions and differences regarding coaching and mentoring.

Definitions …………..

･ Set high expectations of performance･ Offer challenging ideas･ Help build self-confidence･ Encourage professional behavior･ Offer friendship･ Listen to personal problems･ Confront negative behaviors and attitudes･ Teach by example･ Provide growth experiences･ Coach their mentees･ Offer wise counsel･ Stand by their mentees in critical situations･ Encourage winning behavior･ Trigger self-awareness･ Inspire their mentees･ Share critical knowledge･ Offer encouragement･ Assist with their Mentee's careers

What Mentors Do

• The best mentors are people whose own enthusiasm for their work and recreation is so contagious that they inspire others just by doing what they enjoy most.

• Ability to sharing your own interests with a young person is the beginning of mentoring - encourage the total growth of the less experienced person whose needs and interests are the mentor's primary consideration. What you do and how you do it will depend on your mentee.

The following are characteristics of a mentor: • Role Model

• Teacher• Companion ･ Enjoys sharing interests and experiences

･ Spends time talking with and listening to mentee

• Support ･ Boosts self-esteem ･ Gives support ･ Listens to ideas and concerns ･ Expresses believe in mentees abilities

• Resource ･ Provides opportunities to try new things ･ Introduces youth to new people, places, interests, or ideas･ Encourages mentee to approach other people as resources ･ Suggests new sources of information

What Makes a Mentor?

Tips for MentorsLinda Phillips-Jones

WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE

･ Investing financially in mentee's business or life pursuits or “working" for your mentee

conflict of interest cannot be neutral and objective

･ Playing personal counsellor

the best mentors help mentees with their total life issues and challenges.

…… but you may run into something you are not an expert

on…..

http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/mentrng/mentrng.htm

Tips for MenteesLinda Phillips-Jones

BECOMING MORE STRATEGICHave you been told that you should become less tactical and more strategic?

strategic refers to the "what and why"

tactical refers to the "how."

Strategic thinking, planning, and actions reflect the big picture

How strategic and tactical are you?

How are you balancing these two approaches in your work?

Are you buried in details and day-to-day deadlines?

Did you become successful as a technical expert on something?Are you now managing people, programs, or larger projects?

Or are you able to overlook small issues in favour of the larger picture? Do you know which are large and small issues?

http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/mentrng/mentrng.htm

A mentor can help you take an honest look at yourself related to strategy and tactics.

･ Interview your mentor about the topic of strategy vs tactics. Ask your mentor to help you develop in this area. Propose some objectives and learning activities.

･ Ask your mentor to be frank about your efforts to be strategic. Where does your mentor see strengths and weaknesses in you?

･ Do a self analysis of how you approached your last two big projects or decisions. Where did you get bogged down in tactics? Were you as strategic as you could have been? How could you have improved? What might you do next time in a similar project?

Research the literature on leadership and strategy.

･ Shadow someone with a reputation for being strategic. This could be your mentor or someone he/she recommends. Try to participate in a situation that allows you to observe this person "being strategic." Interview him/her before the event to understand the thought process, alternatives considered, and the game plan for the situation. think like a strategic person thinks

･ Talk with your manager about this topic. What does she/he believe to be true about your approaches? Discuss how you could further develop.

How could your mentor help?

http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/mentrng/mentrng.htm

Know yourself: Consciously think about where you are in your career, and where you would like to be. Honestly assess what type of personality you have, and which personality types complement your style. Consider your strengths and weaknesses, and define how a mentor might guide you through your growth. If you don? t know yourself, how can another person support you and help you grow?

Be proactive: In some cases, mentoring relationships form naturally. But don’t count on it happening that way. Develop a deliberate course of action to find a mentor.

Ask for referrals: Ask your friends and colleagues/networks to expand your reach. When requesting referrals, be clear about what you are looking for and why.

Keep an open mind regarding who this person might be: A mentor is someone who will help you grow in the area(s) most important to you. This person is not necessarily your supervisor, or anyone with a high-ranking title, or even someone in the same area. Look for someone who exemplifies the traits and skills that you want to adopt. If your accountant models the mindset-management behaviors that you strive for, she could be your mentor.

Identify where you may find a suitable mentor: Know what you want to achieve from the relationship: A clear understanding of your purpose and desired result will ensure that you find a suitable mentor, and that you and your mentor find value in the relationship.

Think about people who have been your mentors in the past: Whether deliberately or not, each of us has had mentors in our lives. Think about the people who have mentored you and the qualities that you appreciated most about them. Use these traits as barometers to finding a new mentor.

Seven Tips for Finding a Great MentorBy: Jamie Walters

http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/04/22407.html

Cardiff Mentorship Scheme

• All probationers will be assigned a mentor as an effective way of introducing them to the School and to the job.

• The School will nominate an experienced colleague to act as a mentor.

• This person cannot be the Head of School or the direct supervisor of the probationer.

• The function of the mentor is to provide supportive advice during the crucial initial stages of an academic career and to generally act as a guide, counsellor and friend during the probationary period.

• Close collaboration between the probationer, the mentor and the Head of School is essential if the probationary period is to be carried out in an effective and structured manner.

• The mentor’s role is crucial in ensuring a smooth transition into the job. The success of mentoring depends above all on the quality of the working relationship which the mentor and the probationer develop.

• It is not the mentor’s role to act in a line management capacity.

Cardiff Mentorship Scheme

• It is essential that the probationer is able to discuss issues openly and confidentially with his/her mentor.

• The mentor and the probationer should agree to meet regularly.

• The mentor will be required to review and sign the formal probation reports required by the University, meeting with the probation review manager where appropriate.

• The mentor’s role includes an introduction to the School and the University but, more importantly, discussing gaps in the knowledge and skills required for the job.

• The mentor does not need to know all the answers but should be experienced enough to point the probationer in the right direction for help.

Cardiff Mentorship Scheme

For the Probationer

•The development of expertise in a structured way based on individual needs;•Encourages and assists career planning;•The improvement of professional and personal networks;•Help to understand the organisation as a whole;•Increases confidence through the monitoring and demonstrating of personal progress;•Assists in the management of change.

For the Mentor

•The opportunity to assist in the provision of new insights into the organisation;•Helps to broaden, apply and demonstrate skills;•Provides an opportunity to enhance the personal and profession skills of colleagues;•Assists in the management of change.

Important benefits of a good probationer/mentor relationship

Cardiff Mentorship Scheme