Mentoring Terms and Definitions

The ‘Mentoring’ Concept

The concept of mentoring in the modern business world is continually gaining in relevance and importance as organisations strive to obtain and, perhaps more importantly, retain, highly skilled members/employees. In the sport and recreation industry, women on boards and committees, or employed in executive roles, have very few role models available and could benefit greatly as a mentee at any stage of their life/career from participating in a mentoring program. Whilst there is no single definition that describes ‘mentoring’, it can be compared to the concept of an apprenticeship; a supportive ‘role-model’ based relationship (often a one-to-one person set-up), whereby a more experienced person (i.e. mentor) guides, encourages and supports an individual (i.e. mentee) as they work towards identified aspirations and goals, potentially opening doors that might have otherwise been closed. Each relationship is customised to the needs of the mentee and usually has a recognised length of between six months and two years.

The Mentor

Holistically, the role of a mentor is, in a trusting learning environment, to help the mentee raise any needs/issues they may have and identify any specific goal(s) they would like to achieve. Furthermore the mentor’s role is to provide the necessary support towards the achievement of such goal(s). The most significant element of a ‘mentor’s’ role is that they should respond to and develop the needs of their mentee without imposing any of his/her own agenda(s) onto their mentee.

Mentors are generally highly regarded individuals within their own organisation, are recognised as possessing broad knowledge and experience and have an extensive network of resources and contacts. They should advocate the mentee’s organisational culture and, where relevant, be familiar with the industry the mentee is associated with.

The mentor should provide a level of guidance that keeps the mentee motivated and focussed so that they have the best chance of becoming an independent, enthusiastic learner. In order to achieve this, a mentor should employ such attributes as strong communication and interpersonal skills and flexible and progressive management skills. The mentor should also be able to identify opportunities, and where appropriate, devise developmental experiences, for their mentee (i.e. important projects, challenging opportunities and working in a team environment). However, while knowledge, skills and abilities are important, it is the often the attitude of the mentor that determines the quality of the mentoring provided. Attributes that a good mentor often demonstrates include:

• Being approachable and trustworthy;
• Shares information, experience and time openly;
• Has a demonstrated interest in developing other people and a genuine commitment to mentoring (e.g. is prepared to commit the required time to be an effective mentor)
• Motivates, encourages and builds self-confidence by helping the mentee recognize and trust their own judgement;
• Is sensitive to behavioural patterns, moods and anxieties of the mentee;
• Challenges and analyses;
• Clarifies issues and gives suggestions for action and alternatives; and
• Is realistic, discrete, and provides constructive criticism.

The mentor must display a certain level of self-awareness so as to recognise and manage their own behaviours within the mentoring relationship in order for the arrangement to be a success for both the mentee and the mentor.

The best mentors are:

• Challengers
• Trusted advisors
• Role models
• Approachable counsellors
• Nurturers
• Leaders
• Supporters
• Teachers
• Friends

The Mentee

While the mentor provides the learning environment, it is the mentee who is ultimately responsible for the mentoring relationship. The entire process is based around the needs of the mentee. They need to identify their learning objectives and this will determine the overall direction of the mentoring relationship. Due to the proactive nature of a mentee role, the mentee should be career-oriented, highly ambitious, genuinely eager to participate in learning and development opportunities, and prepared to receive and accept feedback or constructive criticism from time to time.

Good mentees can be drawn from a diverse range of people – those beginning or ending their careers, women (employed or not employed) who wish to develop their skills and knowledge, those with time to make a contribution – but critically, they need to be committed to using the skills they acquire. In the sport and recreation industry, it is important that women (particularly those who are passionate about their sport) are encouraged to participate in mentoring programs.

Mentees could be identified from the following groups of people:

• Generally capable and ambitious;
• Seeking o a role change o to broaden their skills, and/or o to change their working patterns and work/life balance;
• Those who for family reasons choose to not work or work part-time;
• Retirees who have had a successful career;
• Those with diverse cultural backgrounds;
• May be preparing for part-time or full-time retirement;
• Executives and others who wish to join internal or external boards; or
• Women on maternity leave.

Potential mentees are often limited by time, making conventional learning avenues (e.g. courses or workshops) impractical to pursue.

Mentoring vs Coaching

The concepts of mentoring and coaching differ on multiple levels. Coaching is often task-orientated, limiting the student’s development to a certain set of skills. In contrast, mentoring takes on a holistic approach, developing the capabilities and potential of the whole person and monitoring the implications of such learning on his/her career. As previously mentioned, the mentoring environment requires the mentee to identify their own areas of need and relies on interactive feedback between mentor and mentee regarding mentee issues and performance, whereas coaching is predominantly dictated by the coach and feedback is generally directed towards the student. Overall, while coaching most often addresses solutions to short-term tasks at hand, the mentoring process is more likely to be a long-term evolving relationship.

The Various Types of Mentoring Relationships/Programs

The actual structure of the mentoring relationship will depend not only on the needs of the mentee, but also on the pre-determined length of the program and the timing of each mentoring session (e.g. weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Therefore, a broad range of mentoring relationships can be employed, ranging from highly structured to predominantly informal relationships between mentor and mentee.

• 'Formal’ Mentoring Programs:

This is the more traditional and popular form and offers discipline and protocol. This style of mentoring often incorporates formal agreements between mentor and mentee, and the use of a facilitator. The role of the facilitator would be to match mentees with mentors, organise any appropriate orientation or training and generally determine the level of structure. Applying a formal structure to mentoring ensures clarity of roles and responsibilities and will possibly attract greater support and recognition from the participant’s organisation. Possible disadvantages of this type of program may include difficulty in successfully pairing mentee to mentor and may result in less flexibility in the relationship.

• ‘Informal’ Mentoring Programs:

This type of mentoring results when a mentoring relationship forms between two work colleagues or friends without facilitation by an outside party or formal agreements. Informal mentoring is often successful in organisations that have a low staff or volunteer turnover and where there would be a small number of participants in the mentoring program. It can be initiated by a manager identifying potential in an employee or volunteer, or alternatively by a potential mentee who approaches a more experienced individual for guidance with his/her aspirations. A relationship of this nature is normally built from a foundation of trust and respect. The mentor and mentee are generally highly compatible and such relationships often become long-term friendships. A possible disadvantage to this type of mentoring includes the risk of ambiguity of the mentoring boundaries if the relationship becomes too overwhelming, or a situation where the organisation doesn’t provide the level of necessary support in training and development workshops.

• ‘E’-Mentoring Programs:

Online mentoring relationships can be utilised for mentees who are restricted by time and are otherwise unable to attend meetings in person at the appropriate times (e.g. regionally based people or shift workers). Whilst this method forfeits the opportunity for the mentor to read their mentee’s body language etc. when communicating, other advantages of this style of mentoring (other than that of time convenience) is that written correspondence provides both the mentor and mentee with a complete reference of past correspondence.

• ‘Small Group’ Mentoring Programs:

This style of mentoring usually occurs within an organisation when there is a common interest/goal shared by mentees and the mentor. Overall, regardless of the style of mentoring that is chosen, it is the quality of the mentoring that is most important and that will influence the success of the mentoring program.

Why Undertake a Mentoring Program? Who Needs to be Mentored?

When and Why Mentoring Programs are Typically Implemented

 In general, mentoring relationships, of any kind, are usually formed when a person (the mentee) is going through some sort of transition. For example:

• Joining a committee or a board, as either a volunteer or in a paid capacity, or as an executive or non-executive director (support from mentors who are experienced company directors and understand the legal role and responsibilities involved in strong governance will benefit both the individuals and the organisations involved).
• Changing careers:
• Entry into the workforce (the transition of new recruits from an educational environment to a work culture environment);
• Beginning a new role or career;
• Moving from a technical or operational area to a management role and becoming part of mainstream management;
• Being promoted to an executive role where learning to manage the strategic direction and politics of the organisation becomes a necessary skill;
• Significant organisational change (e.g. merging men’s and women’s organisations);
• Trying to succeed in a male dominated workforce or environment, such as the sport and recreation industry, where the organisational culture needs to be shifted; or
• Full-time to part-time work changes or retirement (traditionally been assisted by outplacement services but increasingly it is recognised that a mentor in a one-to-one relationship can be even more effective).

The Various Benefits and Possible Costs Associated With a Mentoring Program

Implementing a mentoring program can potentially have many benefits for the mentor, mentee and the organisation involved. In general, mentoring can provide opportunities for skill and leadership development, networking and career enhancement and overall improved productivity.

• Benefits for the Organisation:

The most valuable benefits of mentoring to an organisation are arguably in areas of recruitment and personal and professional development of its people (paid and volunteers) and the retention of valued employees/members/committee members and directors. Productivity can also benefit from the implementation of mentoring programs as mentees may feel a greater sense of value in the organisation, with positive flow-on effects on motivation levels and role satisfaction. Mentoring can assist in the retention of corporate knowledge and development of succession planning. Overall, the implementation of a mentoring program can result in greater diversity and increased equal opportunity in the organisation. As most mentoring programs are based around voluntary participation, any costs incurred are usually limited to the time and commitment required by the selected mentor in order to participate.

• Benefits for the Mentor:

Whilst mentoring programs are predominantly focussed around the needs and benefits of the mentee, there are also beneficial reasons for becoming a mentor. Perhaps the most obvious benefit would be the personal satisfaction of having an opportunity to transfer their knowledge and skills to others, and watching the growth of the mentee through their efforts. In terms of the mentor’s own career development, mentoring provides an opportunity to review and better their understanding of their industry, provide exposure to new ideas and perspectives, and generally enhance their networks and work relationships. Mentors can achieve self-improvement and new learning in management, leadership and communication skills. Such improvements however, may further enhance a mentor’s self-confidence and self-worth within their organisation ultimately resulting in greater enthusiasm and commitment to their own role.

• Benefits for the Mentee:

Benefits available to the mentee generally fall into one of two main categories; career enhancement and personal development. Similar to the benefits available to mentors, mentees have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills and strategies (as well as receive constructive feedback) in an open and non-threatening learning environment, in order to better their role or career prospects within an organisation. Networking and communication skills, and understanding of their organisation and its culture are areas where mentoring provides opportunities for improvement. The potential benefits to mentee personal development are numerous. Overall, the mentoring relationship can provide the emotional support required to assist in the clarification of certain role or career goals and the development and reinforcement of aspirations. Such support provides a boost for the mentee’s confidence and self-esteem, ultimately achieving the confidence to pursue their aspirations and belief in their abilities.