Phase 4: Monitoring and Evaluating the Program
(see measurement and evaluation)

How do you sustain a mentoring relationship?

A mentoring relationship is more likely to be sustained if it is perceived as being successful. Successful mentoring is one where both parties:

• Experience significant learning as a result of the relationship.
• Feel that the quality of the relationship is high, particularly in terms of supportiveness and thoughtfulness.

For a mentoring relationship to be sustained each party needs to approach the mentoring relationship with a willingness to learn from each other and to develop a professional friendship. A professional friendship is mutual respect and acceptance, built around mutual commitment to a set of goals.

A mentoring relationship evolves. There are usually four stages to the mentoring relationship. These are important in understanding how to sustain the relationship.

1. Rapport building
2. Direction setting
3. Progress making
4. Winding down.

Rapport building
Mentor and mentee need to develop a high level of rapport. Rapport enables the mentee to open up about their deeper concerns and the mentor to provide constructive criticism.

Stereotyping can be a major barrier to rapport building. It is important to have diversity training either as part of mentoring or part of an overall organisational strategy. If there are significant cultural differences between mentor and mentee it is important that they both accept that:

• They do have stereotypes.
• Even benevolent stereotypes can limit potential to achieve (eg women are better at soft management tasks).
• Recognise that being open about stereotypes is the most effective way of dealing with them.

Setting direction

• Greatest value arises when the mentor helps the mentee identify clear long-term career and personal development goals, and short-term steps that will take the mentee towards those goals.
• Time allocation and frequency of meetings should be clarified along with basic ground rules.
• It is important to focus on realistic goals. Mentors can guide mentees towards this outcome by setting up questions about the goals.
• As mentoring is to enable the mentee to manage their own self-development more effectively, the mentor should understand the influences on the mentee’s future choices. Choices involve the interaction of:
  • Self development: discussion of mentees willingness and desire to be proactive is important in setting direction.
  • Values: Values drive definition of success-achieving what you value. Ask what they value.
  • Culture-assumptions about the organisation how it works, promotions.
  • Personal goals, ambitions.

Making Progress

• At this stage various diversity issues may have to be dealt with in the mentoring relationship. These issues could include:
  • How does the mentor react if the mentee perceives they are being discriminated against?
  • Follow established procedures if it is structural
  • Develop a strategy for mentees to deal with discrimination
  • How does the mentor react if they perceive that the mentee’s inner stereotypes appear to limit their capability?
  • What occurs if either party perceives that negative or overly positive stereotypes are occurring within the relationship.

Winding down

• As the problem of dependency can arise in the mentoring process it is important to manage this process.
• If there is a clear time period at which the relationship ends winding down is easier to manage . If there is no set time-frame, it may be time for the relationship to end if :
  • Goals set have been achieved.
  • No new topics or objectives are arising
  • Mentee can confidently tackle situations without help from the mentor.
  • Mentee has reached self-sufficiency
  • There is a danger of dependency.
  • Is there strong loyalty?
  • Mentee only makes decisions after consulting with mentor

What tools can you use to assist the sustaining of mentoring relationships through the four phases?

1. Help mentees to empower themselves

Separate out factors that hinder and help career progress and work together to develop strategies of tackling each area.

An analytical approach takes much of the anger out of mentees’ perceptions of disenfranchisement or unfair treatment.

2. Encourage the sharing of values between mentor and mentee.

Have a checklist which opens up discussion with questions such as:

• What’s important to your future career?
• What are you most proud of achieving?
• What do you value most in a friend/work colleague?
• What gives you status?
• Who do you admire/who are your role models?
• How do you manage work/life balance?

3. Encourage/facilitate informal mentoring and networking

Participation in a formal mentoring program should not be seen as a substitute for informal mentoring. Organisations with a formal program should also encourage participants to seek out informal mentors.

Informal mentoring should be encouraged within the organisation and skills which are likely to lead to it being more effective should be developed.

Informal mentoring has been seen to be an important factor in women breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’. However, women have traditionally had less access to such relationships. This has led to organisations establishing formal mentoring programs to ensure women are mentored.

Many recent studies have found that there are limitations to the effectiveness of formal mentoring programs in achieving better outcomes for women. On average, the outcomes of women who receive informal mentoring are better than those who participate in formal mentoring programs.

Formal mentoring programs appear to concentrate on jobs rather than the entire picture. The holistic approach should be encouraged in the programs aims. If your organisation has a work life policy this should also be linked to the mentoring program.

Quality mentoring should be the first consideration as this has the highest impact on outcomes.