Mentoring In The Dietetic Profession Guidance Paper

Transcription

1 Mentoring In The Dietetic Profession Guidance Paper

2 Introduction The BDA Strategic Plan states, as one of the Association s medium term objectives, that mentoring will take place at all levels throughout the profession. Many dietetic departments already engage in this good practice either formally or informally. This paper has been produced as an aide memoir and is intended to provide information which in most cases is likely to confirm practice currently in existence. 2

3 The Mentoring Process What is Mentoring? The word mentor originates from Greek mythology. Before Odysseus went to fight the Trojan war, he asked his old and trusted friend, Mentor to look after his son Telemachus. During the ten years that Odysseus was away, Telemachus grew up in Mentor s care. Over the course of time the word mentor has become synonymous with trusted adviser, friend and counsellor. Mentoring has long been accepted as a way of developing individuals and assisting them to reach their full potential. Formally, mentoring is often associated with a senior expert person within the organisation adopting a protégé to develop their potential and to support their career development. For the majority of dietitians engaged in a mentoring relationship, the process will be less formal and probably focused on the mentor helping the learner to discover new things about him/herself and his/her capabilities. Typically, mentoring in the workplace covers such areas as career enhancement for both the learner and the mentor; induction into the department/ organisation and the politics of that particular organization/ department. What Mentoring is Not To help clarify what mentoring is, it might be useful to define what it is not. It is not a student/ tutor relationship where the focus is on academic achievement and the tutor is in control. It is not an instructor/ trainee relationship which is focused on the learning of new skills and techniques needed to perform in the job. It is not a manager/ employee relationship which is primarily task orientated and the manager is in control. For this reason it is sometimes difficult, although not impossible for line managers to become mentors. It is not a friend/ friend relationship where the focus may be on personal development but is usually based outside the working environment. 3

4 The Role of the Mentor The role of the mentor is to: Listen Question, elicit facts Give information about the organization Give advice on career development Offer different perspectives Offer support and encouragement Draw on own experience when appropriate Confront and discuss current issues Take the lead and make decisions in the early part of the relationship and to encourage the learner to: Listen Clarify understanding Share thinking Review and reflect on own behaviour and performance Challenge own assumptions Consider different perspectives Develop and manage a career plan 4

5 Take responsibility for their own personal development and prepare for the next level of management if appropriate Make decisions for maximising the outcomes of the mentor relationship The mentor should have: Relevant job experience and skills Well-developed interpersonal skills An ability to relate well with learners A desire to help and develop learners An open mind, a flexible attitude, and a recognition of their own need for support Time and willingness to develop relationships with learners The learner must have: Commitment to his/her development Flexible approach to new methods of learning Honesty and openness about behaviour Receptiveness to feedback Time and willingness to develop relationship with mentor 5

6 The Mentoring Life Cycle The mentoring cycle has eight stages: Stage 1 Gaining a commitment to the mentoring process Stage 2 Getting involved the individuals either volunteer or are selected Stage 3 Getting together the key people meet to establish the nature of the mentoring relationship Stage 4 Getting to know each other the mentor and learner begin to develop their knowledge of each other and start to develop their relationship Stage 5 Working together the mentor and learner actively address and challenge issues and together make development plans Stage 6 Learning together the learner puts the development plan into action, the mentor listens, gives effective feedback, leading to learning and development Stage 7 Review and evaluation the development plan and the mentor relationship is reviewed and modified Stage 8 Saying goodbye when the mentor relationship has achieved its objectives, the learner no longer needs the help of the mentor and it is time to move on 6

7 Mentoring as a Development Tool The mentoring process is particularly useful as it focuses learning and development within the context of the workplace and supports the principle of continuous learning and personal development. Mentoring can be useful for: 1. The newly-qualified dietitian Utilising a mentoring system provides continuing support for the newlyqualified dietitian as they adapt to being part of the team. 2. Those taking on new responsibilities Mentoring is effective for the dietetic manager who may be new to the role or to the organisation as it can provide him/her with role models who can demonstrate good practice. An informal system of mentoring can be used at any time. If this is a system that currently works for you, then that s fine. However, a more formalised system will work best if the mentor and learner agree to enter into a mentor relationship. An agreed understanding of everyone s role within mentoring is important for it to be successful and it is important to set some ground rules. The mentor needs to be very clear about things they will/will not/ can and cannot do and the learner needs to be clear about what he/she can give to and needs from the mentoring relationship. 7

8 As a mentor you may find the following model for meetings useful: The first meeting and all subsequent meetings should be planned and prepared for by both mentor and learner. You should agree: The time (start and finish) The place the meetings should always take place in an area with privacy and steps should be taken to avoid interruptions. The first stage of the meeting is often one of exploration where the mentor takes the lead. The mentor should: Clarify the aims and objectives of the relationship by listening, asking open questions and negotiating the long and short-term agenda. Show respect and appreciation of the learner s situation and help the learner to explore development needs. This may be achieved through active listening Stage two is about reaching an understanding. The mentor supports and counsels the learner who should: Start to recognise strengths and weaknesses, begin to identify development needs and focus on priority areas. These objectives can be met through active listening, challenging and sharing experiences. The mentor may also engage in coaching at this stage in order to offer alternatives, give feedback and provide an opportunity for the learner to demonstrate skills if appropriate. The third stage involves action planning and enables the learner to make his/her own decisions and take appropriate action. The objectives here should be to: Look at options and consequences Gain a commitment to resolve mentor process problems Agree action plan for next meeting 8

9 The meetings should always focus on giving the learner the opportunity to review their development and performance since the last meeting. This allows: Celebration of the learner s success Acknowledgement of his/her development Discussion of difficulties Sharing thoughts and ideas about new situations Setting new goals Gaining commitment to their action plan As the learner you should prepare for each meeting by: Reviewing your performance since the last meeting. It would be useful to ask yourself the following: 1. What have I done? 2. What have I achieved? 3. What was it that I planned to achieve? If not why not? 4. What have I learnt? 5. How did I feel about it? Decide what you want to share with your mentor Decide what you want to get out of the meeting Commit yourself to participating actively in the meeting. 9

10 In conclusion it may be useful to remind yourself of the benefits of mentoring. Firstly, for the learner: Career enhancement in terms of advice this could be professional or of a more personal nature Assists in the setting of CPD objectives Speedier and easier induction into the formal and informal environment of an organisation Training in organisational politics For the mentor: Satisfaction at the success of the learner Development opportunities for the mentor: coaching, counselling and motivating skills Challenge, stimulation Demonstrates engagement in CPD activity For the organisation: More effecti ve staff Demonstrates a commitment to training and development Tangible and measurable gains if work tasks or projects are used as development tools References: Mentoring Dave Clarke, Fenman Publications, 1996; ISBN Mentoring, The Definitive Workbook Development Processes (Publications) Ltd/ Swansea College, 1994; ISBN National Professional Standards for Dietitians Practising in Healthcare The British Dietetic Association, October