Thinking of being a mentor or finding a mentor.......then this presentation will assist you through the process.

2. So, what is mentoring?
“Mentoring is a relationship which gives people the
opportunity to share their professional skills and
experiences and to grow and develop in the process.
Typically, mentoring takes place between a more
experiences and a less experienced employee.”
(Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (1997) Mentoring)

3. Types of Mentoring
0 Facilitated mentoring: When mentoring is formally
established to meet specific organisational objectives (i.e.
induction training)
0 Key person replacement: When mentoring is used to
prepare someone to take over from another person (i.e.
succession planning)
0 Informal, short term: Spontaneous and off-the-cuff
mentoring (i.e. giving advice)
0 Informal, long term: When mentoring is a continuous
relationship
0 Reverse mentoring: Partnerships between an older
experience executive and younger, less experienced
newcomer. As the name suggests, the younger employee
serves as the mentor.

4. What can I use a mentor for?
0 Job orientation: Someone who helps you settle in to
your new job/company
0 Career transition: Someone with whom you review
your career goals and plans
0 Skills: Someone who will help you develop specific
skills
0 Professional or personal development: Someone
who will help you grow
0 Confidant: Someone who is there for you
0 Technical advisor: Someone with whom you can
discuss technical questions
0 Correspondent: Someone to whom you explain your
ideas

5. Before you choose a mentor…
BE CLEAR ON:
0 What you hope to gain from a mentoring relationship
0 The type of mentor best for helping you meet your
objectives
0 Your short-term career goals (where do you see your
self in the next year or two and what knowledge,
skills and abilities do you need to get there?)
0 What key experiences could a mentor provide that
would benefit you most?

6. How do I choose one right for me?
The best mentors:
0 Are excited about learning and who are continuing
their own development
0 Have a desire to be active participants in others’
learning and growth
0 Set high standards for their work and can set an
example for you
0 Are known for their skill set to which you are
wanting to attain

7. Work Mentoring: Engage your
Manager
Gain Manager’s buy in by:
0 Involving them in the selection of your mentor
0 Gaining input into your development needs
0 Explaining the outcomes you are hoping to achieve
0 Providing them with regular updates on your
progress

8. Approaching your mentor
The onus for initiating a mentoring relations is on YOU
0 You need to have the self-confidence to approach a
potential mentor and effectively present the merits of
a mentoring relationship so that both parties gain
something from this
0 Share your short-term goals, your accomplishments
and your major developmental needs and objectives
0 Be completely honest in your explanation of why you
want a mentor and why you are asking this particular
person to be the mentor

9. How to be mentored
You need:
0 High self-awareness
0 Ability to listen
0 Taking ownership
0 Accountability for actions
0 Willingness to learn

10. How to be a good mentee
0 Be prepared for your sessions (on time, organised, able to
update on progress)
0 Establish a mutually agreeable plan for mentoring sessions
including how much time and when you will meet
0 If you need to postpone a session, agree on how much notice
you need to give each other
0 Let your mentor know who you are – share you hopes,
dreams, fears, ideas and goals
0 Focus on the relationship rather than the outcomes.
0 Listen with an open mind
0 Ask curious questions – in fact don’t be afraid to ask any
questions!
0 Provide context and updates to your mentor
0 Respect your mentors boundaries
0 Follow up on all your agreements and commitments
0 Say thank you – remember to thank your mentor for their
time and effort and the value they are making to your
progress.

11. Characteristics of a great mentor
0 Respected within or external to the organisation
0 High level of relevant experience
0 Ability to get on with people
0 Excellent communication skills
0 Humility/desire to continue to learn

12. Reverse Mentoring: What is this?
What is reverse mentoring:
0 Popularized by Jack Welch, CEO of GE, reverse mentoring is an
approach that acknowledges that everyone in the organisation brings
something to the table. Reverse mentoring partnerships generally
include an older, more experienced executive with a younger, less-experienced
newcomer. As the name suggests, the younger employee
servers as the mentor. Yet, reverse mentoring is indeed a two-way
street.
What are the benefits of reverse mentoring?
0 Reverse mentoring gives senior executives an opportunity to stay up-to-
date with the latest business technologies and workplace trends but
it also helps junior employees see the larger picture and gives them a
glimpse of macro-level management issues. Reverse mentoring also
increases retention of Gen Y employees and gives senior executives the
satisfaction of sharing their knowledge with the next generation. It
increases multi-generational engagement and helps reduce conflicts
between generations in the work place.

13. Reverse Mentoring Tips
Any tips on starting a reverse mentoring program?
0 Make the perfect match
Reverse mentoring involves two people with extremely different, experiences,
backgrounds and cultures; therefore creating the ideal mentoring partnership is
vital. Choose mentors who possess good social skills and have the confidence to
interact with and teach senior management.
0 Set a level playing field
Start the reverse mentoring program with a fun and informal orientation. The
orientation should give the mentors and mentees an opportunity to interact with
each other as individuals – not as the boss of the whole place or as the newbie who is
fresh out of grad school. This will set the stage for the whole program and in time
help erase traditional hierarchies.
0 Set specific formal goals but allow space for individual innovation
It is important to list out what the reverse mentoring program aims to achieve in
general, for all participants. However each mentoring partnership is unique. So
mentors and mentees may also enjoy and benefit from helping each other in ways not
defined by the program. A young mentor might help a C-suite Exec choose a new cell
phone. Or a CEO might share tips on how a new entrant can advance his / her career.
So factor in the need for informal goals to be met as well.

14. You found your mentor and your
about to meet…
YOU must be the driver of your meetings so be prepared
0 What should your mentor know about you in order to
work most successfully with you?
0 What are your desired outcomes for the mentoring
relationship?
0 What do you expect from your mentor?
0 How will you know if the relationship is working? How
will you gauge this?
0 Before commencing your first meeting it is best to send
them your thoughts on the above so that they can prepare
themselves for meeting with you. They will have an
outline from your initial discussions, but this will help to
make the meetings more productive.

15. I’ve been asked to be a mentor….
Want to become a great mentor?
0 Be committed
0 Know that your mentee can be anyone, anywhere…
0 Really listen, provide advice and encouragement
0 Play both roles – you should be learning from your mentee!
0 Have your own mentor & networks
0 Be open minded and compassionate
0 Have patience
0 Be a role model – your actions are being evaluated
0 Care about the relationship – invest in your mentee and you will get
so much more out of the experience
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The
superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” -
William Arthur Ward

16. Mentor’s checklist
o Prioritise the mentoring session, making sure it isn’t
“bumped” by other demands
o Set aside time and space for the mentoring session so that
you are uninterrupted (maybe meet up at a café for coffee)
o Give yourself time to get to the meeting
o Review any email correspondence and notes that you may
have before your sessions
o Clear your mind and prepare to give the session your full
attention. Get in the mood by letting go of your stresses
and focus on the idea of assisting your mentee
o Consider and collect any resources that might be useful to
the mentee

17. What problems could occur?
0 Over dependence on the mentor
0 One-up manager may be suspicious
0 Politics become involved
0 Reduced or no support from your
manager
0 No time to meet up
0 Poor scheduling (on either or both
sides)
0 No clear goals
0 Not using the mentor properly

18. Mentoring checklist
o I know what I want from a mentor
o I have identified potential mentors
o I know why I want this person as a mentor
o I have written expectations that I can discuss with
my mentor
o I have some ideas, subject to agreement with my
mentor about how the relationship might operate
o I am open to accepting ideas, comments and
thoughts from another person

19. Everyone needs a mentor
Don’t just take my word for
it...
As Richard Branson says
when he talks about the
importance of mentoring on
his blog…
“If you ask any
successful business
person, they will
always have had a
great mentor at some
point along the road.“