The document outlines the vital components of successful mentoring relationships, emphasizing the mutual growth of both mentors and mentees. It highlights the importance of establishing a good 'fit', managing expectations, defining roles, and building trust through effective communication and regular feedback. The document also provides practical tips and guidelines to enhance the mentoring experience for both parties involved.

1. The Strategic Mentor
How to make your mentoring relationships a success
Mentoring is a one-to-one relationship to promote the professional and personal growth of a
mentee. A mentor provides essential information, gives feedback, encourages, provides
emotional support and promotes their mentee to others whenever possible.
Benefits of mentoring to the mentor
Professional gains through greater intelligence/information and career enhancement, personal
gains through psychological reward, enhanced reputation as trusted advisor and an increase
and sharpening of skills needed to be an effective mentor.
Benefits of mentoring to the mentee
Greater expertise, a valued relationship with their mentor, fresh perspectives, increased self
esteem, personal satisfaction, recognition and an expanded professional network.
To make your mentoring relationship as effective and as valuable as it can be, pay
attention to the following four key areas and adopt the following winning tips.
What can you do to improve the ‘fit’ between
you and your mentee?
While it may not be possible to develop a clear cut formula to inform the matching of mentor
and mentee, there are certain considerations that will help the chances of learning for both
parties. Those responsible for matching should consider whether similarities or differences will
support learning or make the relationship unviable.
The extent to which the mentor and mentee are able to tolerate differences is key, particularly
those relating to personal values and beliefs.
Here are a few things you can do to enable ‘fit’:
 Discover your similarities – for example, shared experiences - and build on them.
Similarity is a strong foundation for building rapport
 Discover your differences in style, experience and viewpoints and build on them. Create
value from them by exploring different approaches and devising new ones – difference is a
strong foundation for learning
 Be tolerant of uncertainty and accept different approaches from your mentee. With this
philosophy both mentor and mentee can gain immensely
 Hold periodical meetings that reviews your personal mentor-mentee relationship.
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2. “My mentor is so busy and time poor, so
how can she really help me achieve my
goals?”
What can you do to manage your mentee’s
expectations?
Fundamental to the success of a mentoring relationship is a shared understanding of
expectations and conflicting viewpoints will be avoided with open discussions from the outset.
These tasks should be completed at the first meeting.
Define…
 Roles in the mentoring relationship
 Limits that you may have for the relationship.
Discuss...
 Time constraints that might impact the mentoring relationship
 What you have to offer the relationship, e.g. Knowledge, skills, resources, etc.
 Why you both want to be in a mentoring relationship.
Agree…
 Goals and objectives for the mentoring relationship
 Frequency and duration of contact time each month
 How you will both deal with confidentiality issues
 How you will provide each other with regular feedback and evaluate progress
 Preferred ways of interacting: Phone calls, email, or face-to-face.
“Will my mentor be a role model?”
What roles should you be fulfilling as a mentor?
Mentoring is a complex activity requiring a variety of roles. Principle to mentoring are the
following:
 The advisor: Give encouragement and feedback to your mentee and help with the
acquisition of skills and abilities. To do this role effectively, ensure you establish your
mentee’s learning goals and career targets.
 The networker: Help your mentee develop essential connections and use your network to
support and promote their ambitions. To do this role, identify where your network ties in
and provides opportunities for your mentee.
 The counselor: Develop your mentee’s abilities and coping strategies to handle
challenges, overcome obstacles, and improve recognized weaknesses. Do this by listening
sympathetically and understanding the nature of support to offer.
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3.  The role model: Be the living example from whom your mentee will learn. Live this role
by always demonstrating exemplary behaviors, sharing experiences and providing
shadowing opportunities
“With only a few hours of contact
each month, how can we build the
kind of trust we both would like?”
What can you do to build trust and establish
rapport with your mentee?
Rapport and trust are key components of building a strong, effective relationship with
mentees. Good mentors establish rapport quickly and build trust over time.
Day-to-day
 Honor all scheduled meetings and calls
 Adhere to your agreed boundaries of confidentiality
 Promote your mentee, put in a good word, seek out opportunities.
During meetings and conversations
 Adapt to overcome difference, whether cultural, personality, or learning style
 Be open-minded and state that ‘no question is a bad question’
 Demonstrate a continual interest in the mentoring relationship
 Listen carefully to your mentee and remember what they say (keep a journal)
 Know your mentee’s needs: Ask open questions and funnel questions and check your
understanding
 Share your personal thoughts and reflections
 Seek feedback on your performance as a mentor.
What participants say about TMA World’s Strategic Mentoring solution:
“Makes me want to increase my efforts …to spend time with my mentees”
“I now have a clearer view and a structure”
“I now know what to avoid”
“Gave good insights”
About us…
TMA World is a leader in enterprise-wide management training solutions.
To find out more about strategic mentoring or to enquire about other solutions
contact us today: enquiries@tmaworld.com
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