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Maintain Momentum & Sustainability
Ongoing support for your program and the participants is vital. A mentoring program left alone is likely to wither and die. Strategies that maintain the enthusiasm from the launch of the program to its close will improve the probability of achieving the specified outcomes.
Activities you may wish to include:
- Networking events
- Workshops on topics such as career planning, assertive communication, leadership
- Projects or assignments
- Mentor forums
- Social events
- Presentations by in-house subject matter experts or people with success stories
- Workplace tours
- Shadowing
- Journaling
- Mid-point review group activity
- Finalé – celebration, recognition and program close
Resources you can provide:
- Regular newsletter, articles or tips
- Assessment instruments
- Library
- On-line courses
- Intranet website
- Noticeboard
- Email group or blog
- Teleconferencing
Mentor The Mentors
It is ironic that in some mentoring programs, mentors are provided with some training at the beginning, then left alone without support.
The most experience mentors still welcome a forum in which they can talk and learn from each other and draw on additional expertise.
Mentors need to feel valued for the contribution they make. Issues and problems may arise and guidance may be needed. So stay in touch and nurture your mentors. Best of all, provide them with mentoring.
Support needs to be regular, relevant and enjoyable. It may be necessary to budget for ongoing external support to ensure that mentors are mentored if the coordinator is unable to fulfil this role.
Feedback
Your program may require, or at least recommend, that pairs review their progress and give feedback to one another.
As co-ordinator, check in with both mentors and mentorees to see how things are going. Even if the pairs do not need your assistance, they need to know you care. Monitoring and evaluation should be part of every mentoring program. Informal contact, perhaps by phone can be supplemented by more formal surveys and data collection.
It is likely that you will be required to report the results of the program to management. Even if it is not required, you would be wise to provide plenty of information about the success of your program. You want ongoing support and funding so you need to publicise positive result to decision-makers.
Group reviews mid-way and at the end of the program are useful. A mid-point review provides a chance to check on progress, identify any issues and address them. It allows participants to discuss achievements and problems and ways to get the most out of the remainder of the program. Typically, participants report renewed enthusiasm and increased confidence as a result of the mid-point review.
To conclude the program, a final session celebrates the achievements, acknowledges the contributions of participants, and gathers feedback and suggestions for improvement for future programs.
The Finalé also provides a point of closure for participants (although they may decide to continue informal mentoring relationships). The review process can be followed by an informal social event (drinks/lunch).
Extract from: Rolfe, A (2006) How To Design And Run Your Own Mentoring Program. Mentoring Works
Support Your Mentoring Program
Imagine, what it would be like if your mentoring program were the benchmark for other industries? What if, other organisations looked at what you had done as a model?
At Mentoring Works we’ve helped organisations like yours to achieve the strategic advantages and personal benefits of mentoring. Our materials support people and programs all over the world. Contact us now, to discuss how we can best assist you.
“The Crown Castle mentoring programme has been a rewarding experience and huge learning opportunity.
It has demanded focus on the whole person, challenging my listening skills and requiring me to step back and resist the temptation to jump in to solve the problem!
The programme is also creating informal communication channels which is having a positive effect in breaking down silos.”
Mark Edghill, Director Finance – Mentor
Crown Castle International
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