BUILDING A

MENTORING CULTURE

SALOME GITOHO

FIHRM(K)

CONTENT

• Starting and set up

• Selecting a mentee/protégé

• Building a culture

• Measuring success/impact

• Case study of a successful mentoring

programme

Famous classic THE

ODYSSEY by Homer

Mentorship today about….

• Fast tracking policies;

• Affirmative action programmes; and

• Support succession plans.

• Retaining expert knowledge within the

organization

• Developing staff in specialized areas.

• Targeting certain core areas (esp. Critical

Workforce Segment)

Mentorship today about…

• Improving career development ability

• Facilitating Leadership Development;

• Managing Orientation and onboarding

• Ensuring Motivation and employee engagement

• Identifying and boosting strengths and career

opportunities

• Managing career and lifestyle issues

• Understanding of self and aspirations

• Internal knowledge transfer

STARTING THE JOURNEY

Establish Guidelines• Develop a guideline to use in the process

–What is the purpose of mentoring

– Establish and communicate the respective roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees

– Prepare the documents to use

–Clarify the program Purpose, what do we expect to achieve

– Establish well Defined Goals

–Design the mentoring Model

– Prepare the mentoring calendar

• Establish a budget

• Include it as a substantive agenda in a senior persons JD

• Skills gap assessment and subject of focus; talent, balance, performance

Establish Guidelines

• Program is clearly defined, articulated and how it is

measured (KPI)

• The program is well known and accepted

• There is a defined leader, champion, coordinator etc.

• There is buy-in from staff; both mentors and mentees

• They are trained and passionate about being mentors,

• Their roles, expectations are well defined

• Establish the boundaries and rules of engage

• Confidentiality and trust are guaranteed.

Define the process Documented formal structure in place, strategy, policy

etc.

Identify the right mentee the organization want to

develop and align it with the company needs, etc.

Clarify expectations and roles

Provide mentor training

Support the program; have a budget, agenda item at

leadership meetings, take on a mentee

Matching process for mentees, train them

Set guidelines, KPI’s, sign off

Start the programme

Define the process

• Accurate pairings is critical

• Create a framework for the relationship.

– Duration of the mentoring relationship

– KPI’s; goals, milestones, number of meetings,

• Establish a forum, vehicle, for individuals to connect

and share experiences.

• Meet as agreed

• Leadership shows the way by example

Significance of KPI’s

– These will be used to assess the impact of the

programme.

– They are institutions/corporate

– Must be expressed in numbers, units, percentages

attitude, levels of confidence evidenced by

presentation of mentees, visibility, you can see and

hear about mentees articulation etc.

– KPI’s; goals, milestones, number of meetings,

Linking up protégés and

mentors• Based on the goals of the mentoring program.

• Define their expectations of each other and the

process

• A formal mentoring agreement must be used

throughout the mentoring process.

• The mentoring agreement should include;

- the goals and objectives of both the protege and

the mentor,

- how and when they will meet

- a confidentiality agreement.

Selecting Mentors

They must ….

• Be willing

• Have the desired competence and skills

• Have the right values

• Be available

SELECTING A PROTEGE

Generational Differences

It is important to understand the context of the

generation the mentees’ grew up in and how it

may differ from the characteristics typical of

your generation

Working with Baby boomers

• 1946 and 1964, or the post-World War II generation; tend to be

optimistic, competitive and goal-driven

• They seek recognition and reward for their efforts, and expect

the same type of commitment and hard work of others.

• They believe that the right mentoring relationship should be

mentor-directed.

• Boomers are often asked to be mentors because of their desire

to make a difference and because they tend to hold senior

leadership positions

Working with generation x• Born between 1965 and 1980. This generation seeks a healthy

work/life balance.

• Independent and entrepreneurial.

• According to Lois J. Zachary, an internationally recognized

expert on mentoring, Gen Xers want a mentor who is not

only competent but also one who is direct, yet informal, in

their style

• Zachary advises mentors to “encourage creativity and

initiative” and help the “mentees discover new approaches, set

expectations, raise the bar and then turn them loose to figure

out how to achieve their goals”

Working with millennials

• Born between 1981 and 2000 GenY

• Craves a work/life balance.

• Have high expectations of their workplaces,

desire flexible work hours and

telecommuting, and prefer communicating

electronically.

• Entrepreneurial and goal-oriented, and desire

to make a positive difference in the world.

• Multitaskers, social and confident

Working with millennials

• Appreciate instant feedback and recognition.

• Top priority is growth and development.

• Mentors should offer hands-on experience

that will empower their mentee to take the

next step.

• Prefer positive, collaborative, achievement-

oriented mentors who take them seriously

How to select protégé and

mentors• Define the criteria and characteristics for selecting and

matching mentors and protégés.

Example: if target is to grow leadership capacity, choose

mentors should;

- have many years in a leadership role,

Defining a business case for

mentoringFrom the onset define the purpose and goals of

the mentoring; eg.

– improve retention

–build morale

– accelerate leadership development

–provide ongoing career development

–build teams

– facilitate organizational learning

KPI’s

Expressed as

1. Acquisition/increase in number of participants;

2. Behavior what were the defined behaviour listed

3. A productive and happy workforce

4. Impact in the organization

Establish KPI’s1. Defined plan with specific development milestones.

2. Number of times development discussion meetings

held.

3. Planned development targets achieved.

4. Retention Rate

5. Engagement Results; carry out a survey

6. Job Changes / Promotions

7. Percentage of Employees who have had an increase

in job performance ratings

Evaluating the program

1. How has the process assisted the protege

in achieving the developmental

objectives that were defined at the

beginning of the program

2. Was the program successful in achieving

its strategic business case goals, such as

retention or the development of high

potential.

Measures

• Track and analyze; data on chart prepared

earlier

• Reports: submitted at agreed times, number of

meetings, achievement of KPI’s, mentoring

sessions, attendance at conferences,

presentation of papers etc.

• Conduct surveys, feedback from mentors,

mentees, department heads colleagues etc..

Measures• Higher retention ( %, numbers, )

• Attract new talent by demonstrating a company’s

commitment to professional development through

mentoring. ( %, numbers, )

• People want to work for you ( %, numbers, )

• Happier staff ( reduced visits to staff clinic etc.) ( %,

numbers, )

• Increased organizational productivity via

performance management system( %, numbers, )

Measures

• Were expected outcomes achieved Yes/No

• Were the KPI’s met? Yes/No

• Improved the respective mentee's professional

success ( promotions, new skills, new

responsibilities)

• Reduced turnover ( %, numbers)

Benefits to mentees

Personal as well as professional development

Networking opportunities

Having a role model

Developing professional behaviour and identity

Improving problem solving skills

Increasing confidence and leadership skills

Opportunity to discuss career options

Discuss problems in a non-threatening environment

Opportunity to be challenged constructively

Benefits to mentors

Opportunity to share knowledge

Giving back to their profession

Satisfaction in mentee’s success

Peer recognition

Development of self awareness and own

learning

Develop greater understanding of other

cultures and viewpoints

Benefits for the Organization:• Better trained staff;

• Development of an organisational culture;

• More effective management development;

• A positive orientation to learning; and

• Empowered staff

Employee engagement and satisfaction

Benefits for the Organization: Better workplace communication

Improved workplace culture

More efficient knowledge transfer

Improved employer reputation

Employee recruitment and retention

Career planning and leadership

development

Benefits to mentees

Personal as well as professional development

Networking opportunities

Having a role model

Developing professional behaviour and identity

Improving problem solving skills

Increasing confidence and leadership skills

Opportunity to discuss career options

Discuss problems in a non-threatening environment

Opportunity to be challenged constructively

Benefits to mentors

Opportunity to share knowledge

Giving back to their profession

Satisfaction in mentee’s success

Peer recognition

Development of self awareness and own

learning

Develop greater understanding of other

cultures and viewpoints

“An effective mentoring

programme typically leads to a

minimum of 30% higher

retention of staff” (Clutterbuck

2011)

THANK YOU

South Wing Ojijo Plaza, Plums Lane off Ojijo Road Parklands

P.O. Box 50824 GPO 0020 Nairobi KenyaTelephone Number 0732 900 101/2

info@lincolnconsulting.co.ketraining@lincolnconsulting.co.ke