Nova Scotia Public Service Commission Innovation & Growth November 30, 2005

Transcription

1 Mentoring Guide

2 Nova Scotia Public Service Commission Innovation & Growth November 30, 2005 This guide for mentoring has been designed to support the leadership and career planning and development of managers and professional employees and is based on our values of respect, integrity, diversity, accountability, and the public good. Nothing in this document should be interpreted as modifying or limiting the provisions of any collective agreement between the Province of Nova Scotia and its employees. In all cases, the terms of the collective agreement will take precedence over the contents of this document. This document is protected by copyright. The consent of the copyright owner must be obtained for reproduction. Innovation & Growth Nova Scotia Public Service Commission One Government Place 1700 Granville Street PO Box 943, Station Central Halifax, NS B3J 2V9 Tel: (902)

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...4 WHAT IS MENTORING?...5 3

4 INTRODUCTION In today s environment, people in organizations need to handle more complex human resource and business situations, make decisions faster, and do more with less than they have in the past. Furthermore, in an increasingly competitive environment, organizations must find innovative ways to attract, retain, develop employees, and transfer knowledge from the more experienced to the less experienced. Mentoring is one way to address these challenges. Mentors have always existed in the workplace. In many professions, mentors are thought to enhance, if not ensure, the professional development and success of talented newcomers. Increasingly, mid-career professionals seek mentors when they wish to develop new levels of expertise and to advance in their profession. Mentoring is a key strategy supporting Goals 1, 2 & 5 in the Corporate HR Plan. Mentoring has a significant impact on both individual and organizational effectiveness the benefits are many: career development for high-potential employees improved recruitment increased communication across functions and departments increased productivity informed succession management long-term employee retention, and new employee orientation. In absence of a formal corporate mentorship program (under development), this document serves as a guide to assist employees to benefit from a mentoring relationship. It includes successful mentoring practices and working tools for mentors and mentees. 4

5 WHAT IS MENTORING? Mentoring is all about building a developmental relationship, with the result, an employee who has someone who is interested in his or her development and cares about him/her as an individual. Mentoring is: Mentoring is not: about helping people to assume more responsibility for more effective career management. a relationship designed to build confidence and help individuals take increased initiative for personal development. a one way coaching initiative. a process to encourage unmotivated people to take responsibility for self-directed career management. a process to address performance issues. a balanced menteeship requiring equal commitment and investment from both mentees. a career accelerator for those who have already demonstrated the ability to invest in personal career achievement. a process to make fit people better. It is important to note that mentorship relationships can take a number of forms based on the mentee s needs: Skills mentoring--mentees are matched with an expert in a particular subject area to enhance their skills Career mentoring--mentors offer career planning advice Diversity mentoring--mentors assist employees with adapting to new cultures and languages Peer mentoring--new hires are mentored by peers with similar job responsibilities Team mentoring--mentees work with multiple mentors, each providing assistance in a specific area Reverse mentoring--young employees provider older employees with fresh perspectives on new services and younger clients Regardless of the focus, the philosophy and underlying principles are the same. 5

6 There are three key principles that form the foundation for mentoring Deliberate Learning is the Cornerstone The mentor s job is to promote intentional learning, which includes capacity building through methods such as instructing, coaching, providing experiences, modeling and advising. Failure and Success are Powerful Teachers Mentors, as leaders of a learning experience, need to share their how to do it so it comes out right stories. They also need to share their experiences of failure.ie., how I did it wrong. Both types of stories are powerful lessons that provide valuable opportunities for analyzing individual and organizational realities. Development Matures Over Time Mentoring when it works taps into continuous learning that is not an event, or even a string of discrete events. Rather, it is the synthesis of ongoing events, experiences, observation, studies, and thoughtful analysis. Mentoring is a joint venture. Successful mentoring means sharing responsibility for learning. It is about building a partnership relationship. It is characterized by: acceptance, trust, openness, support, caring, and commitment. Both parties receive value. It is reciprocal. Want a Mentor? If you have decided that you want a mentor, then click here to find out if you are ready, what your role is, etc. Want to be a Mentor? If you think that you would like to take on a mentoring role, click here to find out what the role entails, if you have the competencies required for the role and if you are ready to take it on. 6