Home -> Management Resources -> HR Articles ->Mentoring -> Part 2   Mentoring given and received can predict career success, along with other factors such as educational level, wage increase expectations, and, to a lesser degree, achievement motivation. Depending on the manager and his / her career pace and stage, different mentoring factors could predict success. How can HRD practitioners use this information ? Four ways stand out. Encourage mentoring for new and early-career managers. HR departments can play a valuable role in fostering these programmes. Develop courses on how to mentor; these can include training on how to encourage and praise proteges, ways of promoting others' strengths, and how to provide career counseling. Proteges also need training on how to attract and work with mentors. This training can focus on the skills indicated as vital to achievement motivation. Examine the educational levels required for success at each career stage and find ways to provide this important success predictor to as many managers as possible. Tuition reimbursement and in-house adult education programmmes should increase the probability of career success. Include achievement-motivation training in management development programmmes.
	Successful people say they have been mentored in the past and they have mentored others. As HRD leaders, we must do what we can to encourage mentoring as a means to further transform organisations into environments for that constantly nurture and develop employees. Jerry Willbur compares mentors and the mentoring process to sequoia trees. The sequoia grows to be hundreds of feet tall and lives for more than a thousand years. Why? The tree feeds from the environment through its strong, deep, wide-ranging roots. But it does not just take from its environment; it also gives. By providing shelter and nutrition to neighbouring plants and animals, the sequoia contributes 80% more to the forest environment than it takes! As people receive mentoring's benefits, they grow and achieve. They also develop roots in their organisations and begin to mentor other achievers, thus giving back more than they received.

Chapter By Kalpana Thursday, December 7, 2000 at 07:24:13

Source: www.mentoringgroup.com/bestprac1.html ======== MENTORING BEST PRACTICES by Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones Most organizations starting mentoring programs are interested in the successful practices used by others. Here are some of the processes and activities that have impressed us. Lockheed-Martin Missiles & Fire Control uses innovative joint training activities to prepare mentors and mentees. Pairs do various trust-building exercises, including one with blindfolds in which mentors as a group guide the mentees in solving a problem. For more information, contact Barbara Reed (Barbara.a.reed@lmco.com). Technical University of Berlin and the European Academy for Women in Politics and Economics has an innovative program called Preparing Women to Lead. Qualified university graduates take part in internships in Germany, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands. For an intense three months, the women are paired with outstanding female mentors who teach them about the mentors' fields and management styles, organizational structures, processes of decision making, and the day-to-day requirements of management. For more information, contact Prof. Dr. Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel (eaf@tu-berlin.de). Hewlett-Packard (Roseville, California facility) has a site-wide program that includes approximately 100 pairs at any one time. Mentors and mentees each attend separate half-day training workshops that use written guides, videotapes, and skill practice. Pairs write and sign partnership contracts, which are not collected. For more information, contact Kathleen Borges (kathleen_borges @hp.com). U.S. Army-Air Force Exchange Service has implemented mentoring groups. For six months, three mentors and six to eight mentees meet together every two weeks. Mentees focus on career development, including learning the intricacies of how the organization works. Confidentiality is strictly enforced. For details, contact Joan Pendleton (pendletonj@aafes.com). Canadian Centre for Management Development (CCMD) has an innovative leadership program for developing Public Service senior executives. Participants gain from a multi-faceted approach: mentors, executive advisors, personal coaches, small learning groups, and varied job experiences. For more information, contact Suzanne Faure (suzannef@ccmd-ccg.gc.ca). Note: If you contact any of these individuals, please send specific questions rather than asking them for everything they have about implementing a mentoring program. Their time is extremely precious, and specific questions will make it easier for them to help you.

Chapter By anuradha Tuesday, May 22, 2001 at 06:38:51

History: The original Mentor is a character in Homer’s epic poem the odysseus. When Odysseus, King of Ithaca went to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his kingdom to Mentor. Mentor served as the teacher and overseer of Odysseuss’ son, Telemachus. Definition: The Merriam-Webster WWWebster Dictionary defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” For their Mentor/Protégé Program, the Anesthesiology Department of Cleveland’s MetroHealth System defines mentor as “a wise, loyal advisor or coach.” Application: A mentor is an individual, usually older, always more experienced, who helps and guides another individual’s development. This guidance is not done for personal gain. Mentoring is used in many settings. Although it is most common in business Mentoring is basically a development-oriented initiative. It facilitates an environment in which an individual grows both as a person and as a professional. Its purpose is to make the mentee feel comfortable in the organisation and, more importantly, feel wanted. The signal it sends out is unambiguous: you are important to the future of the organisation. Mentoring is a unique organisational process. Thus, like the employee stock option plans, employee training, and the employee satisfaction survey, mentoring is a serious technique. It demands considerable preparation and groundwork. A formal approach alone will force individuals and organizations to give mentoring the commitment it deserves. The role and the responsibility of each participant--the mentor, the mentee, the functional head, and the management development cell of the HRD department--must be articulated. The allocation of time and resources must be done in advance. The process must be broken down into sub-units, and the ownership of each sub-process must be fixed. The goals of the initiative must be identified so that its progress towards them can be monitored and measured. Most significantly, mentoring needs to be marketed to. Time-frames should be agreed upon and a consensus arrived at on issues like the duration of the mentoring scheme, the number of times the mentor should meet his mentee in a year, the areas of focus at the meetings, and the scope of the mentoring programme in terms of what issues mentors have control over, and what they do not.

Chapter By Sunita Bhuyan Wednesday, June 27, 2001 at 08:26:14

Mentoring Coaching and Mentoring are the most important functions of todays manager.Teams are replacing individuals as basic units of organisations.This calls for great leaders who are facilitators, motivators and role models. The relationship between a team leader and team member is not of a boss and subordinate, but of the coach & coached.Such an interaction would bring out the best in both. But this calls for conditioning in the initial stages . Once both parties develop the right attitude towards this concept, there is no stopping the success of such a team . There are some behaviorial traits that are required to get into this coaching mode.The leader has to be unbiased,sensitive to individual needs, have a flair for giving positive and constructive feedback, maintain transparency in the team, and above all lead by example. The team member needs to have role clarification, positive attitude, the ability to take both negative & positive feed back constructively and a belonginess to the team. With the above broad skill sets both the mentor and the protege can achieve both personal and organisational growth.

Chapter By VA Sriram Wednesday, May 14, 2003 at 04:58:46

MENTOR-defined M-Manager E-Entrepreneur N-Negotiator T-Talented Resourcer O-Organisation Developer R-Result Tracker

Chapter By Diana Menezes Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 01:21:44

Mentoring is undoubtedly an important tool for increasing communication and employee development in any organization. The organization however, has an option of selecting mentors on the following three basis- 1. The synchronization between the career path followed by the mentor and that desired by the protégé. 2. The working relationship between the mentor and the protégé. If an immediate supervisor plays the role of a mentor, this would enable more frequent communication hence enabling the protégé to approach his mentor as and when required. 3. The matching of emotional wavelength between the mentor and protégé. A senior with whom the individual feels comfortable to communicate with will be the most appropriate mentor in this case. In order to lead the mentorship programme to it’s ultimate goal, it has to be ensured that the protégé can share his/her deepest career related fears and desires with his/her mentor. HRD’s task now lies in identifying the right mentor-protégé combination and to nurture an environment of development in the organization.

Chapter By asima Azeem Wednesday, June 22, 2005 at 00:50:23

turnover

Chapter By amit sharma Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 17:28:48

MENTORING-CONCEPTS ‘Mentoring is a personal enhancement strategy through which one person facilitates the development of another by sharing known resources, expertise, values, skills, perspectives, attitudes and proficiencies. It allows the learner to build skills and knowledge while attaining goals for career development. Conversely, it provides the opportunity for the experienced individual to further enhance his/her skill and knowledge areas by continuously reassessing and building upon those areas”. DEFINITIONS Murray (1991) defines mentoring as ‘...the deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced person with a lesser skilled or experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific competencies….’ Clutterbuck (1996) defines mentoring as ‘offline help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking’. ('Offline' here means away from the job or not in a line management structure.) Rossett & Sheldon (2001) describe contemporary mentoring as a more democratic version of mentoring which defines, launches and maintains pairings between people where they probably wouldn't happen on their own. Jossey-Bass (How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Program 1991, p xiv) defines mentoring as a trusting, collaborative relationship in which there is a commitment of time and a series of interactions that contribute to the personal and professional development of one or more parties to the relationship. Usually one party has, in at least one respect, more experience, skill, knowledge, and/or a higher position than the other. However, both can learn and contribute to the work through a caring, respectful relationship. BENEFITS OF MENTORING Mentoring brings value to everyone involved in its practice: mentees, mentors and the organization for which they work. Mentees have an opportunity to gain wisdom from someone who has traveled the path before them. Mentors (tutors) can help the mentee deal with any concerns about performance, and help them to devise methods of improving and increasing their self-esteem. Mentors (tutors) can help mentees develop realistic career goals and strengthen motivation. Mentors (tutors) in turn usually gain considerable self-satisfaction from assisting in the development of mentees and benefit from listening to fresh views of newer people in the organisation and gain new perspectives. The organisation also benefits from mentoring because in embracing mentoring it is showing a long-term commitment to staff. It can improve communication across all levels and mentoring is an effective way of developing employees to their full potential. The organisation has the opportunity to share and spread its acquired learning and know-how. The Mentoring Relationship The nature of a mentoring relationship varies with the level of experience and expectations of both the mentee and mentor. In general, however, the relationship must be based on a common goal: to advance the professional and personal growth of the new employee in a way that will enhance his/her career and the institution. There is no single formula for good mentoring; mentoring styles and activities are as varied as human relationships. Different mentees will require different amount and kind of attention, advice, information, and encouragement and this very fact is perhaps the most challenging task of a mentor (tutor). How to Have a Successful Mentoring Relationship 1. Relationship: All relationships require commitment to grow and flourish. Some mentoring relationships grow spontaneously; but all require time and deliberation. 2. Purpose: The shared understanding between the partners about the aim of the relationship is important 3. Regularity: The best mentoring occurs with regularity of meeting. 4. Accountability: Effective mentoring involves the mentor giving the mentee quantifiable tasks to accomplish. The mentor can hold the mentee accountable through written feedback, probing questions during a scheduled meeting, etc. 5. Communication Mechanisms: Mentoring involves communicating to the mentee; areas of concern that need correcting. This requires establishing early on the method preferred for the mature and honest transfer of critical information. 6. Confidentiality: From the very onset, the mentoring relationship honors confidentiality. 7. Life Cycles of Mentoring: It is wise to know and recognize the stage or phase of the mentoring relationship. 8. Evaluating: Three dynamic forces flow from the mentoring relationship: interaction, responsiveness, and accountability. These forces allow for mid-course measurement of growth. 9. Expectations: Evaluation and feedback can be helpful in modifying expectations. 10. Closure: Closure brings a satisfactory end to the mentoring event, which includes growth, empowerment, and the accomplishment of realistic and practical goals. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VARIOUS TERMINOLOGIES MENTORING Mentoring has its focus on Professional Development and is conducted by a more senior professional in the organisation. This process explores opportunities for broadening experience and facilitating career development. It could be described as PROFESSION CENTRED LEARNING. COACHING Coaching is a style of managing which aims to maximise the contribution and performance of the individual. Its context is the current job. It is a process that draws on individual and team experience in order to identify opportunities for improving performance. It involves giving guidance, direction, feedback, encouragement and support, and should be led by the line manager. It could be described as PERFORMANCE CENTRED LEARNING. COUNSELLING Counselling focuses on encouraging the individual to understand their situations and develop solutions and plans for themselves by exercising their own responsibility. Neither the counsellor nor the counselled person knows the 'answer' before the discussion begins. It emerges from the discussion. This could be described as PERSON CENTRED LEARNING. PROVIDED BELOW IS A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS STAGES THROUGH WHICH A MENTORING REALTIONSHIP PASSES THROUGH(A ONE _YEAR TIME PERIOD IS ASSUMED ) Stages of Developing a Mentoring Relationship • Mentoring consists of different stages reflecting the mentee’s learning and growth needs. • We intend to structure the program in a manner so that the transition from one stage to the other is smooth and happens in a phased manner. • We have suggested a time bound framework suggesting the duration for each stage. • The stages however blend into each other and the actual duration for which a particular stage lasts would differ from individual to individual. The mentors and tutors can best determine it. • Each stage requires the partners (mentee, mentor, tutor and the HR) to assume different mentoring roles. • The roles listed under a stage are however not exclusive to that stage, but indicate when should participants, pay emphasis on performing a particular role. The First Stage-the introduction stage o The first stage of the mentoring process is critical to the development and success of individual mentoring relationships. o This stage would span for the initial one month and would involve laying the groundwork for the relationship between mentor (tutor) and mentee and focus on building trust between the partners. o The partners in the mentoring relationship would be provided with an overview of the program objectives, policies, procedures and would be introduced to each other. o Once the partners have been acquainted, the expectations of each other and the relationship would be articulated. o This stage would essentially aim to make the participants comfortable with the mentoring relationship and seek their integration into the system to ensure their enthusiastic involvement and eventually the success of the program. The Second Stage-the learning stage o The second stage of the mentoring process would span from the second to the sixth month and is the one where the mentor (tutor) and mentee determine how learning will occur through the mentoring relationship and initiate the actual mentoring process. o Having established an ongoing relationship that offers a forum for exploring issues, problems, and possibilities, both partners would exchange information and explain personal choices and decisions. o This stage would be the learning stage for the employee and would require that the mentor (tutor) and mentee develop specific goals, benchmarks for success and exchange regular feedback. o The ultimate goal of this stage is to develop an understanding between mentor (tutor) and mentee that drives the relationship forward and help the mentee to have the necessary knowledge about the job, the department and the organisation. The Third Stage-the empowerment stage o The third stage (next five months) of the mentoring relationship is centered on facilitating growth of the mentee through support, challenge, and vision. Investment in the relationship begins during this stage. o By this stage, the employee would have settled down and would have enough experience and ability to work independently. o Mentor (tutor) would manage the relationship by guiding and supporting the mentee and encouraging the growth and of learning of the mentee. o The primary goal of the stage is to ensure that the goals of the mentoring relationship have been achieved and the development and learning objectives of the mentee have been met. o The partners in this stage should also plan and anticipate the relationship towards a successful closure. The Fourth Stage o This stage involves the ending of the formal mentoring relationship and would occur in the last month of the mentoring relationship. o The mentoring relationship would be renewed in case of freshers with the assigning of a new mentor o This stage of the mentoring relationship would involve revisiting the course of progress and celebrating the achievements. o Participants may continue the relationship informally with the mentors (tutors) to solicit their guidance and support. o The stage may be a difficult stage of the process because of the close personal ties that may develop from the relationship and sometimes because of the anxiety, resentment, or surprise that may accompany a relationship ending abruptly. o The ultimate goal of this stage would be to bring the relationship to a gradual and planned closure and redefine the relationship for the future. The role of HR in managing the mentoring program The HR department has a central role to play in designing and managing the mentoring program within the organisation. The quality of mentoring and the results the program delivers would depend largely the efficacy of the HR team in managing and coordianting the program. The HR team would be involved in determining the content of the program and its delivery. HR would act as a liaison between mentors (tutors) and the mentee: mediating when necessary and maintaining effective communication. It would assure that the organization supports, rewards and values the program, allows time for the program to show value and that Mentoring is ingrained as a cultural norm in the organization. The responsibility for implementation and coordination of the mentoring process would be that of HR ROLE OF HR in different mentoring stages First stage • Conduct the orientation training for the participants GOALS OF ORIENTATION TRAINING would be to help the participants  Learn about the concept of mentoring  Understand the roles of those involved in the program  Develop reasonable expectations for the mentoring relationship  Understand their responsibilities  Learn how to get the most out of the mentoring relationships  Understand the limits of confidentiality and the boundaries of the mentoring relationship  Know how to obtain assistance if they have questions or concerns, and  Practice skills that will assist them in the mentoring relationship  Provide information about program requirements, policies and procedures  Build the confidence of participants  Ensure that the mentors (tutors) and the mentees both agree on: ground rules clarify aims, objectives, expected outcomes from the relationship timescales and duration access and methods of communication how the relationship will be reviewed  Ensure that initial contact of the mentees and the mentors (tutors) and encourage the development of rapport amongst them • Provide resources essential for the success of the mentoring program . • Ensure that the mentee is comfortable with the relationship and with his/her role in the mentoring relationship Second & Third Stage During these stages the HR must cooperate with the mentor and tutor to extend the necessary support and training needed for the development of the participants. The HR team must • Ensure that the interaction between the mentors and tutors and mentee is happening on a regular basis and is achieving its objective • Offer support and suggestions for continuous improvement of the mentor mentee relationship • Identify ongoing needs of mentors (tutors) and mentees and plan and provide the essential support and training needed • Support and encourage mentoring efforts by communicating with the participants on a regular basis. • Provide mentees with career interest and assessment tools to help them identify career options and help them prepare an individual career plan in consultation with the tutor and mentors. • Help mentees evaluate their own performance and the attainment of goals; • Help mentees and mentors address concerns, propose solutions to problems and take action to resolve serious issues (if any) • Provide ongoing supervision and support in terms of all the essential resources to ensure continuing success of the program. • Maintain frequent communication with the mentors and tutors concerning mentee’s progress and attainment of goals. • Participate in the review processes and improve the program by implementing the desired changes and introducing the essential modifications. • Ensure that the program policies and procedures are followed and provide the essential guidance required by any of the participants • Coordinate with the program participants and organize the annual events and outings. Fourth Stage Ensure that the closure process is carried on smoothly. Decide in consultation with the mentors and the tutors and keeping into consideration the employee needs and potential- the new mentor to be assigned (rotational mentoring) to the freshers. Reward the program participants through formally acknowledging the efforts, announcements, recognition rewards, etc. Conduct the yearly evaluation and based on the key findings implement the essential improvements. Skills required for effective mentoring--Tips for mentors and tutors Create an open and supportive climate for discussion  Seek to develop trust by encouraging open, two-way communications; this often means sharing personal experiences or difficult times you went through so that the mentee knows he/she can discuss tough issues.  Respect the mentee’s individuality; your mentee may or may not have a similar style.  Be patient if your mentee seems unfocused – help him/her focus by presenting and discussing options.  Make it clear that you hope to learn from this experience. Demonstrate good listening/follow-up skills  Ask open-ended questions to get your mentee to open up as much as possible.  After you have listened fully to a response, ask good follow-up questions to demonstrate genuine interest.  If you do not understand something, try to paraphrase it to be sure you understand what the person is trying to say  After you’ve discussed an issue in one conversation, be sure to ask how the situation has progressed next time you meet.  Don’t assume that what worked for you will work for that person; rather, try saying something like “My experience was…what do you think will work for you?” Provide constructive feedback and advice  It is very important for you to match the degree of openness of your mentee; do not give negative feedback until you have built a strong relationship and the mentee is ready to receive it.  Once you have established a strong relationship, try to give a balance of both praise and constructive feedback on how to improve.  Always focus on behaviors that can be changed (not personality traits!) and behaviors that are appropriate within the organization/field/environment.  Let your mentee set the initial goals and then give feedback and suggestions.  Help your mentee make goals specific and realistic with target dates; monitor progress, help her him/her adapt plans when necessary, and provide on-going encouragement.  Do problem solving with your mentees when issues/barriers arise helping them think through strategies and options.  Consider and discuss additional ways for your mentee to get advice and information he/she needs; call on other mentors/colleagues when appropriate and try to help your mentee widen his/her network. GOAL SETTING PROCESS The goal setting process serves as the method by which the participants create the mentoring relationship. The mentees’ goals will be related to his/her professional and personal progress in the organisation. The goals should be reviewed on a regular basis to verify whether they are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timely). Establishing objectives----- The GROW model The mentors and tutors can use the GROW model to define objectives more clearly. G = Goals – (set goals, write them down to make them more concise and establish what is wanted out of the session).Ask the mentee questions like What do you want to achieve? What will that enable you to do, that you can’t do today? What are you trying to achieve in the long term? How will you know when you’ve succeeded? What time frame is involved? R = Reality – (Let the mentees explain their view point, invite self assessment, what’s happening, when does this happen, what effect does it have, other factors).Ask him/her to explain What’s happening now? What have you tried so far? What results did you get? What’s stopped you reaching this goal already? What are the real barriers and what are the assumptions? Do you know anyone who has achieved this goal? What can you learn from them? Is this goal achievable? Who else is involved? How far do you have to go/How much do you have to do? O = Options - (Brainstorm options, ask – don’t tell, empower, ensure choice, how can the mentee move towards the goal, what has worked in the past).Encourage them to reflect on What could they do as a first step? What would happen if they did nothing? What would they if they knew they couldn’t fail? What would they recommend a friend to do? W = Will - (Identify specific steps and any obstacles, write action plan).Ask them questions like Where does the goal fit in with your personal priorities at the moment? What obstacles do you expect to meet? How will you overcome them? What steps do you need to take to achieve this? So what exactly are you going to do? When are you going to do it? What resources do you need? What support do you need?/How can I support you? How committed are you to this goal? CAREER ADVISING Career advising involves helping the mentee set and meet career goals. Using the following steps may be helpful. 1. DETERMINE THE mentee’s INTERESTS This can be done by asking questions such as: What work activities do you enjoy or find satisfying? What did you like best about your last or present job? What are outside activities or organizations you enjoy? Then you can help the employee focus on the types of tasks and jobs, which would be suitable and enjoyable. 2. IDENTIFY THE EMPLOYEE’S KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES WITHIN INTEREST AREAS Ask the employee: • What are your work responsibilities? • what knowledge, skills and abilities do you need to meet these responsibilities? • What do you believe are your strengths? • What would you consider to be your three most significant accomplishments? • Why do you consider these to be the most significant? You can help the employee reveal knowledge, skills, and abilities by forcing him/her to closely examine professional or personal accomplishments. 3. HELP THE EMPLOYEE DEVELOP OR ISOLATE APPROPRIATE CAREER GOALS Start with long-term goal setting (about 3-5 years) and work backwards. It is easier to identify short-term goals once you know what the long-term goals are. There are several factors to consider when setting career goals. Goals should be: Specific: Goals need to be clearly defined about what the employee wants to achieve. Time-framed: Plan an overall time frame for goals with interim deadlines to ensure that the employee is moving toward these goals. It’s important not to make goals too future oriented. Focus on a three-year time frame. Result-oriented: Concentrate on the result of your efforts, not so much on the activities that are required to accomplish them. Activities are determined after the goals are set. Relevant: The goals must be appropriate and in tune with organizational needs, while moving the employee closer to the type and level of work that he/she finds challenging and enjoyable. In determining interests and abilities to prepare for goal development you may have discussed some social and personal interests which may have applicability to career planning. If you develop social or personal goals, in addition to career goals, try to make them relevant to the career. Realistic: Goals must be within the employee’s reach. The employee needs to fee challenged, but not incapable of reaching the goals. Consider the special talents of the employee and weigh these talents with the requirements of the position for which the employee strives. Help to create the right career “fit” for the employee. Flexible: Goals should not be so rigid that adjustments can’t be made. Sometimes changes in the employee’s interests, or the individual’s workplace, will require altering the employee’s goals. 4. TARGET THE AREAS THAT REQUIRE DEVELOPMENT To target developmental areas, the employee needs to know the requirements of future positions. If the employee is not a novice, let the employee do this research! Identify the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities that will be needed, for effective performance in the future. Weigh these against the knowledge, skills, and abilities that the employee already possesses. The employee’s supervisor may be helpful in the identification. 5. CREATE A WRITTERN DEVELOPMENT PLAN The best way to assure that goals are reached is to outline specific actions to take in order to achieve them. 6. DETERMINE SUCCESS INDICATORS The employee needs to have clear vision of what are the desired results of the developmental activity. The employee needs to be able to answer the question “How will I know I’ve succeeded?” It’s not important what indicators you use, except that these indicators: must be measurable and meaningful to the employee. Once you have an action plan in place, it will be an “enabler” to move the employee toward the career goals that you help to set under the role of advisor. 7. EVALUATE PROGRESS Periodic meetings to evaluate progress toward the goals are the final step. This will provide the opportunity to reflect on what has been learned and to make adjustments as necessary. Marking/celebrating progress as interim goals are achieved can also be a motivational factor. The role of mentors in different mentoring stages The mentors in the organization would act as trusted counselors, role models, and guide to a less experienced person or a newcomer into an organization. They would provide the mentee advice and offer a supportive forum for discussing problems and aspirations. Their valuable guidance as an expert in the organisation would help the mentee in his / her professional and personal advancement. The mentors would also provide the mentee a trusting relationship; connect the mentee to the organizations’ culture and systems and help them integrate into the organisation- through sharing of holistic perspective and valuable insights that they possess. The onus of integration of the employee into the organisation lies on the mentors First Stage The mentors should take the lead in this stage and initiate the relationship since the employee usually has little or no experience at the job or in the organization. They should • Discuss the mentees as well as their personal background, experiences, lessons, interests, and expectations. • Establish understanding about confidentiality and the frequency of contact, and explore potential times to meet. • Consider the experience and skill of each mentees and apply that knowledge to the type and level of supervision needed. • Focus on providing detailed information to the employee on workplace issues and procedures. • Discuss the organisation’s vision, mission, values, and goals and explain how the department and the employee support them • Help the mentee gain an understanding of the business (its functions, rules, policies, procedures, norms and customs, unwritten rules and social aspects); • Help the mentee understand their job responsibilities and/or work objectives and career exploration opportunities within the organization. Second Stage during Stage II, the mentor should • Help the mentee to identify resources and methods to improve work performance, problem solving and time management skills. • Make sure that the mentee’s feel normal about new situations, new procedures, and unfamiliar politics. • Help the mentee cope with difficulties in constructive ways so that difficulties become learning experiences. • Help the mentee navigate through the inner workings of the organization and decipher the “unwritten office rules”. • Help the mentees view the institutional variables in a positive manner that best facilitates their professional growth • Help the mentee understand the difference and connection between learning and its applications in the workplace • Help the mentee recognize the differences among different work environments and guide the mentee to appropriate behavior and performance expectations • Introduce the employee to many of their own contacts to help build the employee’s own network structure. • Help the mentee to set and meet career goals through appropriate training or providing other necessary support • Encourage attendance at organizational functions and participation in other activities which may be beneficial for the mentee • Be regularly available to provide assistance or answer questions regarding any challenge or apprehensions which the mentee might have • Provide honest and critical analysis of new ideas and observations the mentee might have of the work relationships and processes. • Explain to the mentee the organizational context and encourage them to discover the ‘why’ of issues. • Educate the mentees in matters of professional integrity and the appreciation and respect for the work of others. Third Stage • Allow the employee to take control and work independently. For instance, the mentor may give the employee a piece of an important project to do independently, with little or no guidance. • Persuade the employee to find answers and seek challenges, rather than getting them from him/her • Encourage the mentee to ask questions to perform effectively and offer opinions and solutions to problems when appropriate. • Reflect with the mentee, the progress made towards goals and on the relationship itself. • Encourage and stimulate and mentees to learn creatively and independently and challenge the mentee to think in new ways or approach a problem differently. • Evaluate mentee’s progress and performance regularly and on its basis assist in the mentee’s career development • Observe mentees on a personal level, looking out for changes in personality or behavior that could be signs of excessive personal or professional stress. • Work to increase the mentee’s self-esteem and confidence through successful workplace experiences • Provide guidance to resolve conflicts, clarify issues, cope with stressful situations and develop decision-making, goal-setting and time-management skills Fourth Stage During this stage, planning for the mentee’s continued development is balanced with bringing the formal mentoring relationship to a close.  The ideal of all good mentors is essentially to guide their mentee to the point where they can do without them.  The mentor must ensure that the mentee’s development needs have been addressed and his discontinuation from the formal mentoring relationship is smooth and does not create any apprehensions in his/her mind  The program has set out that the relationship should last for a stipulated period of time, however the possibility of continuing the relationship informally may be explored at the end of this period  The mentors must work with the mentees to define the types of support they may need in the future and help in assigning new mentors who can provide benefits other than those provided by them (in case of freshers). The role of the tutor in the different mentoring stages: The role of the tutors would be to provide the mentee with information and resources needed for him/her to perform the job effectively and efficiently. They would be concerned with amplifying the mentee’s professional knowledge and thought processes. The tutors would be more of a coach, observing the work and actions, providing comments on execution, and teaching skills which the mentees may be lacking. While acting as a coach, the tutors would give the employees their time and attention and, more importantly, would help them master their work and grow their own knowledge and skills. It is critical in the tutoring relationship for the tutor to have opportunities to observe the work of the mentee so as be able to provide effective job related feedback. It is however to be kept in mind that the tutor must help the mentees discover the answers to their questions, rather than imposing a solution. The onus would lie on the tutor to effectively manage the mentee’s transition to the new job/role First stage: The tutor would • Describe the department by explaining its mission, purpose and position within the organisation. • Ensure that the employee understands the relationship between his/her job, the department and the organisation and the contribution of his position in achieving the department‘s and organizational goals • Describe the department/division work rules, procedures or requirements etc. (including work-ethic issues, the organizational culture, unwritten rules and the social aspects of work) and would Provide handouts if required. • Conduct a tour of the work area and make introductions to co-workers as well as other people outside of the department with whom the individual will work. • Discuss with the mentees their job responsibilities, expectations, and duties (An excellent way to do this is to use the written job description as an outline.) Emphasize maintaining confidentiality, if it applies to their job. • Point out the importance of the job to the department and the need to work as part of the department's "team." • Outline from whom the new staff member will take direction, if other than or in addition to them. • Explain the work schedule of the department to the mentee (i.e., work hours, lunch times, overtime policy, and procedure for notifying them in the event of absence). • Discuss work environment safety issues. • Discuss the performance management process and job standards • At the end of each day, meet with the staff member to discuss the day on the job. Ask questions and Discuss concerns. Second Stage • Encourage the mentee to learn as much as possible about the new job and communicate that he/she is available to provide assistance. • Guide the mentee in work-related procedures, decision making, goal setting, prioritizing and scheduling • Help the mentee to resolve conflicts, clarify issues and cope with stressful situations occurring during the job. • Identify others in the department and in the organisation who also can help and ask them to do so. • Encourage the mentee to ask questions about the job, the department, the organisation, etc. • Protect mentees from burnout or being overwhelmed and assign them interesting work. • Assist the mentees in identifying and developing specific occupational, technical skills and the employability skills. • Contribute to the design, development and objectives of the mentee’s individual work-based learning plan; • Provide positive reinforcement for tasks that have been performed well. • Begin documenting the staff member's strengths and weaknesses to facilitate the performance review process • Participate in the quarterly and half yearly reviews and provide the mentee a clear understanding of his strengths and weaknesses based on the objective assessment of his /her performance. • Identify the training and other support needed for the employee • Actively manage the new staff member's training and encourage involvement in development activities. • Discuss the training completed and training planned for the future. • Elicit and discuss other questions and concerns which the mentee may have and ensure that he/she is being acclimated to the department and the ORGANISATION Third Stage • Coach the mentee to continuously improve work performance and encourage ongoing self-assessment. • Help build the mentee’s self-esteem and confidence by providing opportunities for success in the workplace and positively reinforcing accomplishments. • Seek out the mentee’s opinions and suggestions in brainstorming solutions to problems and involve him in the decision making process. • Increase the mentee’s awareness of career resources, networking opportunities and professional development. • Encourage the mentee to continue personal and professional development; • Conduct the nine monthly and yearly review processes along with the mentors. Discuss the mentee's strengths and weaknesses with him/her. • Provide feedback necessary for the mentee to perform effectively, highlighting strengths and opportunities for growth and correcting inappropriate behavior; • If employee needs to improve any aspect of his/her performance, identify a development plan, review it with the mentor and plan training opportunities to complement the objectives. • Continue to document the staff member's strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledge strengths. Counsel to improve or correct weaknesses. Fourth Stage • During the fourth and the last stage the tutor must ensure that the mentee’s development needs have been addressed and his discontinuation from the formal mentoring relationship is smooth and does not create any apprehensions in his/her mind. • The tutor must also offer suggestions in recommending the new mentor for the mentee (in case of rotational mentoring-for freshers) keeping in mind the needs of the mentee. • The closure ceremony must be attended and positive feedback about the mentee must be given to him/her.