How To Maintain The Momentum Of Mentoring

Mentoring program coordinators need to have ongoing communication with participants to stimulate engagement, motivation and answer questions or concerns. But how do you keep up the contact in a useful and interesting way? Many successful programs send regular Mentoring Works Tips.

Mentoring Tips could be one page, easy to read and practical. They should be designed for mentors and suitable for mentorees and managers. Consistently delivering Mentoring Tips:

  • Provides mentors with information, tools and motivation
  • Keeps mentorees engaged in the process
  • Informs managers of mentoring techniques and benefits

 

The author of this article is Ann Rolfe, and was first published 10. november 2010 on www.mentoring-works.com.

Working book for the mentee

Last week my latest book for the mentee was finished and came from print. I use «print on demand» and www.lulu.com

The book looked very god in the new design, and I have started on translate it to english. I have a good friend in the US who will do it for me. As a lawyer, writer and trainer he knows what to do.

For now the book is in norwegian, just send me an email if you want to order.

The price is Euro 16,25 + shipping.

Mentors for new teachers

We have some of the same problem in Norway with new teachers coming to job and know «nothing» about whats going on in the classroom. Of course they have the theoretical from their education, but no one is standing ready to help them in their new school.

Every new teacher should have a mentor when they get started in a new school. Because every school is different and the students also are different.

Sandra Feldman, president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Federation of Teachers, says the same.

In a speech this March (2009) at the White House Conference on Preparing Quality Teachers, Feldman stated: «Most teachers, whether they came into the profession through an alternative path, or through a regular teacher education program — as do more than 80 percent of our teachers in the US — will tell you they felt unprepared when they entered the classroom

In the past, those who couldn’t cope with the challenges left teaching. Today the profession can’t afford to have newly credentialed teachers leave the field in frustration. «When there were ample people entering the profession and not as many about to retire, we could afford a high rate of attrition,» said Dougherty. «Now, we can’t afford to lose anyone.»

I would love to start mentorprogram for teachers worlwide, just find the money for it. This is a problem for a lot of countries and they have to realise it.

Young Enterprice Oslo

I am going back to The Norwegian Mentor Program and a training for their mentors. They are doing a mentor program for the young leaders in Young Enterprice in Oslo and Akershus in Norway.

They are being mentors to help young students in their work as leader in their school businesses. More about this will come later.

Is Your Mentoring Strategy Working?

I got this article in a newsletter, and had to bring it on my blog.

Mentoring aims to deliver strategic value for the organisation as well as personal benefits for individuals. How can you ensure that your mentoring strategy achieves these outcomes?

The critical first step is to clarify the strategic purpose of mentoring – why is mentoring important? Without clear, and meaningful goals, you may find it hard to gain support for mentoring, difficult to promote the value of mentoring and challenging to make it a priority for people.

To ensure your mentoring strategy works you have to answer the question «why mentoring?» First, you need to uncover the needs, wants and issues that mentoring will address from the perspective of the organisation and the people you want involved. Then, you can plan your mentoring strategy to deliver specific outcomes; and finally, you’ll be able to communicate the reasons for mentoring in a language that make sense to each group of stakeholders.

What Does The Organisation Need?

Most often, mentoring is used by organisations striving for:

  • Employee engagement – to attract, retain and develop people for increased productivity;
  • Knowledge management/skill building – to prevent the loss of both tacit and implicit information and develop skills, for improved capability; or
  • Culture change to influence behaviour based on values, assumptions, and common practice, for enhanced organisational performance.

You’ll need to find out exactly what the pressing needs are and be able to clearly show the impact mentoring could make. This might mean presenting a business case and/or linking to the organisational mission and values.

Why Should People Prioritise Mentoring?

You may be targeting a specific group with your mentoring strategy such as: graduates, women, emerging leaders, innovators, young professionals or indigenous people, however you need people who are not directly involved, as well as those who are, to prioritise mentoring. If they don’t it may be derailed by obstruction, competing demands or lack of support.

This is a time for two-way, rather than one-way communication. We have to get out there and listen. We can’t simply impose mentoring on people because we think it’s a good idea. They won’t buy it unless there is a personal reason that overrides other priorities. So, you will have to discover the needs, concerns and issues of the people as well as the organisation.

Develop The Strategy – Design The Program

The bottom line is that you have to know specifically, what you want your mentoring strategy to do before you can figure out how you will know that it is working. This is the foundation for designing mentoring programs. Do this to ensure that your mentoring works.

From Ann Rolfe http://mentoring-works.com/

Training Weekend in the Archipelago of Gothenburg

 The day before the training in JCI Gothenburg we went over to the city of Gothenburg, my wife, Lina (from Syria) and I. We had booked us into a nice hotel in the center for relaxing, enjoy and to show Lina the town (since my wife is from Sweden). After the tour of the city, Lina and I had time to plan the next day’s training before it was time for dinner in a town restaurant. 

 

 After 1 hour’s drive against the norwegian border, the training could start. The training "The Big Five" with Lina as co trainer for the first time. The participants were quickly tested himself as a mentor and mentee. The training is specifically structured so that there is so little time as possible to the theory and explanations, but a lot of time to practice. The first exercise where the mentee will talk only and mentor to listen (and do not show any signs to follow, or say something) is a practice that creates an aha experience. Here is where the importance of body language and to follow and immerse themselves in conversation. 

 

 Then, we went on where the mentor in the next exercise could ask questions, and here things is starting to fall into places. And all are amazed at how quickly time passes. Last exercise is where the mentor can come with questions, feedback, and not least, the mentor should try to get the mentee to reach a deadline. "When are you going to…"

 

 The exercises and not least the number of exercises will allow participants to get tested as a mentor several times, and that is the meaning. Learn it and do it! 

 

 On the way, we had several discussions related to the exercises and how they think it was and if the mentee thought that the mentor did well or something that mentor could improve. But all the trainings come to an end and unfortunately this also did, after four hours it was over and the participants an experience richer. 

 

After a training people will always be discussing things or ask more questions, so also this time. And as trainers is Lina and I especially happy when the participants are telling us that this was a surprisingly practical training. And that was what made it special and good, namely that the tools they could now go out in life and use. Already the next day, they actually could start to be a mentor on the job or in their spare time, or perhaps in the marriage. 

 

 I hope that some of the interesting ideas that emerged in the training becomes a reality, that JCI Gothenburg start a mentor program. That way, more people could get even better personal development and achieve their goals. 

 

 THANK YOU, JCI Gothenburg, Thank you from Lina and Thor-Erik. 

Where Passion Meets Purpose

I come over this community for people who want to share their unique skills with others.

MentorWorks blends mentoring, coaching and consulting services from trusted knowledge experts, creating a one-of-a-kind marketplace to learn skills and find resources.

www.mentorworks.ca

I sign up for a membership today, it´s free, I´m looking forward to try it.

You can also follow them at twitter twitter.com/mentorworks

AIESEC Conference – Seminar “The Big Five”

 The seminar at the Aiesec conference went very well, a lot of people willing to learn how to be a mentor. At the end we talked about how this could be used for the best of Aiesec, maybe to get more members.

Some even talked about invited me to their schools to do the seminar again for all the members and maybe for some potential members to.

 

Well we have to see, and hopefully you will hear more about this. Here are some pictures.

 

     

Viking Weekend 2009

JCI Drammen are having people from all over europe coming for their annual «Viking Weekend». This year on Solli Farm in Asker, Norway.

I was booked for my training in «The Big Five» with persons from Polen, Latvia, Germany and Norway. I got two hours to work especially with listening, questions and feedback.

Even two hours are little time they got a preview of how it is to be a mentor and adept. They all get very curious about mentoring and maybe they would get their own mentor when they get home.

Or maybe they will try to be mentor for another person and with the knowledge from «The Big Five» you are actually able to do so. But to be a good mentor you need to practise – practise – practise…

Pictures are coming.

Mentor prepare yourself

Good mentoring relationship starts with preparation by both parties. As a mentor you should be as aware as possible of what you have to contribute and how your potential contributions can match the needs of the adept.

The adepts too, might prepare a list of questions about what they hope to get out of the mentoring relationship.

The following checklist will give you an idea of the things you will benefit from clarifying as a mentor:

  1. What carees ecperiences have helped me most in my own professional development?
  2. What were the most important lessons learned from those lessons?
  3. What «truths» would I want to pass on from those lessons?
  4. If I were to contribute one quotation to my own book about succeding in this organization, what would that quote be?
  5. What have mentors done for me and my development? What kinds of mentoring experiences have been most helpful to me?
  6. If I had the power, what would I change about any of the mentors I have had?
  7. How relevant do I believe my experiences and my professional learning will be to the development of my adept?
  8. As a mentor, how would I like to be remembered?