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12 Tips for Mentoring Excellence
 
Mentoring Tip 1
 
Long distance mentoring communication often gets accomplished in sound bites – a quick email, a fax, or very short conversation. At other points, longer conversations or exchanges take place. Knowing which to use and when is advantageous. It is also important to monitor communication that takes place. Do you. . .
  • Actively listen?
  • Checkout assumptions about what is going on periodically?
  • Share thoughts and feelings authentically?
  • Maintain sensitivity about mentee's personal and learning needs?
  • Discuss accountability and follow up regularly?
  • Reflect on the learning taking place?
  • Focus on mentee learning goals?
 
Mentoring Tip 2
 

Establishing a meaningful human connection and building the relationship are the foundation for building effective long distance mentoring partnerships. Seven tips for success:

  1. Invest time and effort in setting a climate for learning.
  2. Be sensitive to the day to day needs of your mentee.
  3. Identify and use multiple venues for communication.
  4. Set a regular contact schedule but be flexible.
  5. Check frequently on the effectiveness of communication.
  6. Make sure that communication results in meaningful learning.
  7. Share information and resources - but never as a substitute for personal interaction.
 
Mentoring Tip 3
 

The heart of the mentoring relationship is the learning that takes place during the course of the relationship. Keeping a journal or log is one way to add depth to your learning.

  • Set aside time regularly to write about your experiences. As you describe your learning, consider what happened and what was really going on.
  • Don't get bogged down in detail. Capture a brief description and note some specifics, enough so that when you review this later on, you will be able to recall this learning experience clearly. Note your feelings at the time. That is, how were you reacting and feeling at the time?
  • Remember that whatever it is that you experience or stimulates your thinking will help you better understand your own behavior. Note these mental machinations along with frustrations, learnings, curiosities, and "magic moments."
  • If you get stuck write anything even if it is that you have no thoughts. Reflect on why that is so at this particular time. You may find that all you needed was a starting point and the rest will follow.
 
Mentoring Tip 4
 
The old year is out and the new year is in. You've completed last year's mentoring relationship and evaluated what it is you've learned from it. Now is the perfect time to formulate learning goals for your own development. Consider the area do you want to target for your own development. Who will be your learning partner on your 2001 mentoring odyssey?
 
Mentoring Tip 5
 

Some mentoring partnerships end with successful completion of learning goals. Some do not for a host of reasons. Even unproductive or unsatisfactory mentoring relationships can benefit from having a good closure experience. The key to successful closure is being prepared with an exit strategy. A good exit strategy has five components:

  1. A learning conclusion (processing of the learning that went on in the relationship while working toward achievement of learning goals)
  2. A process for integrating what was learned (a conversation focusing on how to apply the learning and taking it to the next level)
  3. A meaningful way of celebrating success (collaboratively planning a mutually satisfying way to celebrate successful achievement of goals, or a particular accomplishment)
  4. A conversation focusing on redefining the relationship (talking about how the relationship is to continue, whether it moves from professional mentoring relationship to colleague, friendship, or ceases to exist at all)
  5. Moving on (letting go by both partners and identifying ways to keep in touch, if appropriate and/or mutually desired)
 
Mentoring Tip 6
 
The kind of mentoring relationship you select should be guided in part by knowledge of how you learn best. Before choosing a mentor, consider group mentoring. If you thrive on having multiple opportunities for learning simultaneously, you may want to establish a personal board of directors for yourself. If a one-to-one mentoring relationship is more compatible with your style, there are also multiple options to consider in addition to the traditional mentoring relationship - for example, peer mentoring and reverse mentoring.
 
Mentoring Tip 7
 
Mentoring provides benefits for mentors as well as mentees. It can expand your energy, stimulate more informed action, result in more job satisfaction and carry over into your personal and professional relationships. Before you begin take time to assess your skills. What development areas might you need to work on? Use mentoring as an opportunity to develop your skill repertoire. Find a mentoring partner who can challenge your thinking, ask tough questions, and listen well.
 
Mentoring Tip 8
 
Mentors and mentees who are proactive and continuously work at evaluating their relationship are more likely to stay on course and achieve their learning goals than those who do not. A specifically focused evaluation conversation ensures mutual accountability and keeps a mentoring relationship focused and growing. The evaluation conversation should become an established part of the mentoring relationship. It can be a simple conversation that answers the question "how are we doing?" Or, it can be a more in-depth conversation in which partners assess (a) the relationship, (b) the learning process, and (c) gauging progress in achieving goals.
 
Mentoring Tip 9
 
The likelihood of mentoring satisfaction and success is increased when mentoring partners have a firm understanding of the mentee's learning needs. Make sure you and your mentoring partner(s) understand, define and agree to the learning goals of the mentoring relationship. Establish objective measures to gauge success. Discuss learning styles. Failure to agree on learning goals and how to achieve them is a frequent cause of mentoring relationship derailment.
 
Mentoring Tip 10
 

Mentoring requires no less than careful preparation of the mentoring partners. When self-preparation is ignored, more often than not, the results are dissatisfaction with the outcome or derailment of the relationship. To get your relationship to a good start, you will want to:

  • Reflect on your purpose.
  • Be clear about your own goals and objectives.
  • Consider what it is you are willing to contribute to the relationship.
  • Be willing to candidly share your needs, expectations and limits.
  • Identify the characteristics you are looking for in a mentor or protZgZ.
  • Gauge interest and compatibility.
  • Continuously work at establishing, building and maintaining a relationship
 
Mentoring Tip 11
 
Brainstorm a list of learning opportunities with your mentoring partner when you begin your mentoring relationship. When you find your relationships in the doldrums or need to reenergize the relationship, pull out that list and explore other options for learning together with your mentoring partner.
 
Mentoring Tip 12
 
Establish points of connection early on in the relationship.
  1. Be sensitive to the day-to-day needs of your mentoring partner.
  2. Identify and utilize multiple venues for communication.
  3. Set a regular contact schedule and be flexible.
  4. Regularly check on the effectiveness of communication.
  5. Make sure that connection results in meaningful learning.
  6. Share information and resources but never to the exclusion of interaction.
 
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