Building High-Impact Mentoring Programs: Ensuring that Mentoring is Not Simply a Series of Polite but Ineffective Conversations

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1 Building High-Impact Mentoring Programs: Ensuring that Mentoring is Not Simply a Series of Polite but Ineffective Conversations Helene Lollis, President Pam Tipton, Executive Director of Consulting Pathbuilders, Inc.

2 Today s Agenda Mentoring Defined Mentoring in the Workplace Barriers and Challenges Four Key Elements of Success Common vs High-Impact Elements High-Impact Programs

3 Mentoring Process Defined "Mentoring is a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is perceived to have less (the protégé.)" (Bozeman, Feeney, 2007)

4 Mentor Definitions & History Webster s A trusted counselor or guide Greek Mythology Goddess Athena an advisor Took the form of a mortal man, named Mentor In organizations long history Senior management sponsors Focus on young professionals Definition has evolved over time PATHBUILDERS

5 Mentoring Pervasive in the Workplace Numerous studies note that ~70% of Fortune 500 firms employ some type of internal mentoring program 75% of Catalyst members incorporate mentoring into their talent development programs

6 Mentoring A Core Component of Talent Development DDI study cites that 97% of executives benefited from the advice of mentors Participation benefits both the mentees and mentors developmentally Mentors and mentees are more likely to be promoted and enjoy higher retention rates than those not participating in mentoring programs (Gartner Research, 2006)

7 Benefits of Mentoring Programs Demonstrate commitment of senior leaders to talent development Leverage the knowledge within the organization Create connections that may not happen naturally Deliver personal and focused development to key talent Build a sustainable talent pipeline

8 Then, Why Do We Hear These Comments? Formal programs aren t effective, the best mentoring relationships evolve naturally. My mentor s a really nice person, but I m not sure what I get out of our time together. The partnership started out great, but we didn t stay with it. I m never quite sure what to talk with my mentor about.

9 Barriers and Challenges Most programmatic offerings are too informal Mentees fail to develop specific goals Common expectations between partners are not established Scheduling and logistics challenges are overlooked with no guidelines for resolution No clear rationale for matching of Mentee and Mentor partnerships Mentoring sessions lack substantive focus Polite but ineffective conversations are the norm

10 Informal vs. Formal Mentoring Informal Connection drives interaction Allows natural relationship evolution Individuals self-select Creates freedom to stop or start Formal Structure drives participation and purposeful discussion Creates connections that may not occur naturally Clear matching and topical discussions increase engagement Has a defined start and stop

11 Formality Key for Mentors Mentor value proposition linked to clarity of requirements and outcomes High demand on their time want to ensure impact Clarity of purpose and reward in supporting a mentee s development Substantive, focused discussion drives two-way learning

12 High-Impact Mentoring FOUR Key Elements Disciplined Mentee-Mentor Matching Effective Mentee and Mentor Training Partnership Monitoring and Intervention Content to Drive Mentoring Discussions

13 Common Mentee-Mentor Matching Mentees select their mentors Committee Matching with limited information or knowledge of participants Matches driven by function or title Applicants reluctant to submit real challenges and goals into system Mentor needs too often considered

14 High-Impact Mentee-Mentor Matching Matching driven by mentee developmental goals and barriers to advancement Mentees and mentors interviewed and rich information gathered Mentors selected for mentees based on mentee needs Personal information incorporated into the match rationale

15 Common Mentee and Mentor Training Electronically distributed program description and guidelines Generic phone/webinar program launch General in nature Rarely partnership or content-focused On-line tools available

16 High-Impact Mentee and Mentor Training Structured roles and responsibilities clearly delineated Interactive session with sharing of expectations and practice discussions Assessments create common language and jumpstart connectivity Mentees provided framework to develop goals for the mentoring time Thorough discussion of all key logistical aspects of partnership management

17 Common Partnership Monitoring and Intervention Often overlooked completely Hallway conversations Triage of problems as they arise Overall gauging of group satisfaction Mid- and end-of-program surveys Reluctance to address mentor shortcomings Acceptance that chemistry sometimes isn t right

18 High-Impact Partnership Monitoring and Intervention Measurement and tracking of engagement of each partnership Third party phone check-ins, probing on specifics Ongoing surveys and updates Interventions to handle partnership problems logistics, communications Working directly with any disengaged participants mentor or mentee

19 Common Content to Drive Mentoring Discussions List of topics provided and available online

20 High-Impact Content to Drive Mentoring Discussions Mentee-mentor common experiences to create common language Mentee goals create context for all conversations Level-appropriate career developmentfocused topics outlined for discussions Participants equipped with thought-leading questions for mentors and probing questions for mentees

21 Inconsistent Outcomes? Questionable matches Ill-defined logistics Awkward introductions Unclear roles Differing expectations Varying degrees of engagement Busy mentees selecting topics for discussion Loose monitoring of partnerships Reluctance to counsel unengaged mentors Certain mentees fully embrace and make it work Certain mentors align priorities Some partnerships work, but High degree of variability in participant outcomes

22 The Continuum of Mentoring Role Modeling, Career Advisors Executive Roundtables Peer Mentoring Group Mentoring One-on-one Mentoring ALL Benefit from Formality Matching, Training, Monitoring, and Content

23 High-Impact Mentoring Programs Drive program engagement and true developmental outcomes Positively impact retention and promotion-readiness Drive broad understanding of corporate culture and career pathing Drive cross-departmental connections and job rotations Significantly strengthen leadership bench