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
[email protected]@lincolnconsulting.co.ke