Mentorhip Committee

Forms & Contact:

MENTORING FORM

Objectives

Using a two-way relationship, mentoring provides a professional network for participants to advise them on future actions and reactions. It is not meant to fix what has been done in the past but rather to help shape the future by empowering women to achieve their full potential and aiding in the development of others.

Definition of mentoring

It is the reciprocal learning relationship in which mentor and mentee work collaboratively toward the achievement of mutually defined goals that will develop a mentee’s skills, abilities, knowledge and/or thinking. Learning is the primary purpose, process and product of mentoring.

Benefits of mentoring include providing professional networking opportunities, satisfaction from helping mentees gain more confidence and find their way and personal development for both mentor and mentee.

Guidelines for the program

• Establish each member’s field of expertise to facilitate matching up mentors and mentees.
• Match up mentors and mentees based on availability and area of expertise of mentors and needs of mentee.
• Drive the definition of the relationship between mentors and mentees.
• Provide guidelines for mentors and mentees to cultivate an effective and successful relationship, up to and including an exit strategy.
• Continuously monitor the program for effectiveness and course correction as needed.
• Mentees must, at minimum, have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Guidelines for mentors

A good mentor…

• Enjoys interacting with curious young people and provides advice and feedback out of genuine interest in sharing their own career and life shaping experiences.
• Is a good communicator in order to better understand what the mentee is saying or what the mentee is asking: includes listening well, reading emails carefully, etc.
• Provides information and asks questions which will allow the mentee to work their way through to their own answers and make good choices.
• Acts as facilitator and not as an authority figure.
• Keeps the relationship focused in order to use mentoring time effectively and efficiently.
• Applies program guidelines effectively to the benefit of both the mentor and the mentee.

Guidelines for mentees

• Thinks through own expectations and goals from mentoring (career choice, advice on current job, work/life balance, etc.) and clearly shares them with the mentor. In other words, asks for what she wants.
• Is willing to actively seek and be engaged in the mentorship process, including follow through on commitments.
• Is willing to contribute to the program as a mentor in the future as own experiences are acquired.
• Pursues relevant networking opportunities.
• Realizes that mentoring isn’t a gripe session, rather it’s a formal process with regular meetings and a system for reviewing progress.
• Ensures mentor is a good fit in terms of social style and values.
• Thinks about how she learns best and what she needs from a mentoring partner to support her learning style.
• Establishes (with mentor’s input) an exit strategy. This includes processing and applying the lessons learned, acknowledging and celebrating the success with the mentor and discussing with the mentor how the relationship will change once the goals are achieved (does a relationship continue at all? Do they parties become colleagues, friends, etc.?).

Tips

• Mentee should ask herself whether the potential mentor will challenge and encourage her to constantly raise the bar for herself.
• Mentee should ask herself if she feels comfortable learning from this individual.
• Mentee should think through whether the mentor has the expertise, experience and willingness to help her achieve her learning goals.
• Both mentor and mentee should think through potential stumbling blocks in the relationship and strategies for resolving them. Potential stumbling blocks include: time, untested assumptions, lack of communication, fuzzy goals, and breach of confidentiality
• Mentor and mentee should meet face to face on a regular basis.

Initial conversation helpful guidelines

• Share mentoring stories (both mentor and mentee).
• Share your stories about individuals who had a profound influence or made an impact on your development.
• Articulate your learning goals as best as you can at this point.
• Talk about what you each need from a mentoring relationship and your personal expectations.
• Determine what it is you want to be able to say you have accomplished as a result of the mentoring relationship.
• Compare your assumptions about your respective roles as mentor and mentee and explore assumptions you each hold about the relationship.

Program champions: Zenna Elhasan and Elvana Hammoud

Team:

AAWBC members from different industries and profession.

Forms & Contact:

MENTORING FORM