CARE Capability Building

Mentoring Guide

• Overview of Effective Mentoring Practices– Benefits of a Mentoring Relationship– Components of an Effective Mentoring Relationship– Characteristics of an Effective Mentor– Build an Effective Supportive Role as Mentor

• Effective Mentoring Techniques– Active Listening in Communication– Delivering Effective Feedback– Effective Questioning Techniques– Managing the Mentoring Relationship– Positive Ends to New Beginnings

• Mentoring Program Activities– Create a Mentoring Agreement– Using the Mentoring Curriculum– Ending Ineffective Mentoring Relationships

• Recommended Reading on Mentoring

Contents

Benefits of a Mentoring Relationship

Benefits for mentors

Benefits for mentees

Benefits for organizations

Mentoring provides advantages to everyone involved if the time and commitment are given by all parties from the start of the mentoring program.

• Gain respect from mentee, colleagues, supervisors for mentoring commitment

• Benefit to own work from hearing mentee’s ideas through discussions

• Renew enthusiasm for work through reward of motivating another person to succeed

• Access value chain-specific knowledge through instruction, individualized professional development

• Acquire role-modelling of market facilitation skills and behaviors

• Understands professional development opportunities and sets goals

• Expand organisational communication and understanding: both national and international communications improve

• Improve recruitment and retention of qualified employees

• Build skilled employees to fill positions through promotion within the organization

Components of an effective mentoring relationship

Share information, knowledge, experiences and wisdom

Provide valuable opportunities by facilitating networking and increasing contacts

Challenge, stimulate curiosity and build confidence by presenting new opportunities, ideas and challenges

Help mentees set goals, discover talents, interests and define and attain their goals

Support mentees by encouraging their growth and achievement by providing an open and supportive environment

Be a role model for your mentee, share stories of your achievements and failures / challenges

Ask powerful questions to facilitate the mentee’s discovery and learning process, and advance your own learning and development as a mentor

Formal mentoring usually involves specific goals in terms of professional development. With these types of relationships, it is useful to set up goals and timeframes for meeting these goals. A formal mentoring relationship can have either a formal written or verbal agreement, depending on the complexity of the established goals

Characteristics of an effective mentor

As a mentor, you can use the skills that you have to become very effective in your role. During the program you will demonstrate your knowledge of CARE and Market Engagement, excellent interpersonal skills, influence and respect and commitment.

Knowledge of CARE and Market Engagement

Excellent interpersonal skills

Influence and respect

Commitment

• Understands CARE and its strategic goals • Provides guidance on making progress in value chain initiatives• Provides career development advice and support• Encourages mentee to set and achieve career goals

• Demonstrates excellent communication skills• Gives clear instructions, demonstrations, and role-modeling• Listens actively at all times to understand mentee’s needs / strengths• Stimulates mentee’s development through guidance and questioning

• Commands influence, respect and credibility within CARE and the wider development field

• Introduces mentee to professional networking opportunities• Acts as an advocate for the mentee

• Involves him/herself in mentee’s (career) life with genuine interest• Take risks to provide career guidance and key decisions• Makes time for mentoring among other work commitments• Relates to the mentee on a personal and professional level

Build an effective supportive role as mentor

Mentors need to be able to provide support to mentee as necessary to address challenges, keep professional goals and work on track. It will also be important to help mentees regain confidence when experiencing personal or professional problems, by using support strategies with mentees. Further support tools are detailed in the next section of this pack.

• Tell your own story to build a relationship with your mentee on a personal and professional level

• Ask open-ended questions to help conversation flow and find out more about your mentee

• Find common ground to help build strong foundations for your working relationship

• Encourage your mentee when she / he comes to you with a challenge

• Listen without judging to provide a safe environment for your mentee to share experiences with you

• Demonstrate confidence and respect for your mentee to build confidence

• Be reasonable about your expectations of your mentee

• Show genuine interest in your discussions with your mentee

• Practise empathising with your mentee to understand his / her situation, feelings and motives.

• Demonstrate appropriate affection and warmth towards your mentee

• Listen without interrupting and be patient

• Ask questions to help your mentee clarify issues they are experiencing

• Support your mentee to list the options available and think them through

• Guide your mentee to identify the best solution for him / her, letting the mentee make those decisions

• Provide (appropriate) emotional support

Establish Trust Provide Encouragement

Take a Genuine Interest Handle Personal Problems

Contents

• Overview of Effective Mentoring Practices– Benefits of a Mentoring Relationship– Components of an Effective Mentoring Relationship– Characteristics of an Effective Mentor– Build an Effective Supportive Role as Mentor

• Effective Mentoring Techniques– Active Listening in Communication– Delivering Effective Feedback– Effective Questioning Techniques– Managing the Mentoring Relationship– Positive Ends to New Beginnings

• Mentoring Program Activities– Create a Mentoring Agreement– Using the Mentoring Curriculum– Ending Ineffective Mentoring Relationships

• Recommended Reading on Mentoring

Active Listening in Communication

Active listening promotes understanding. In a mentoring relationship, it's essential that the mentor understand as much as possible about the mentee. Active listening involves giving the mentee your full attention, being patient and seeking understanding. Use these checklists to support your ability to listen actively when you are mentoring.

Give the mentee your full attention Be patient Seek Understanding

Switch off your phone, Skype, email during meetings

Allow no interruptionsDemonstrate interest with

verbal cues to encourage mentee to speak [and body language in face-to-face meetings]

Spend the full time allocated for the meeting with mentee

Use empathy to engage your mentee

Respond to mentee’s (spoken or implied) requests for help

Listen quietly whilst your mentor is speaking

Avoid formulating a response whilst your mentee is talking

Avoid interrupting whilst your mentee is talking

Control your emotional reactions and responses

Allow periods of silence to enable reflection on questions or discussion points

Listen first, consider and form opinions afterwards

Ask brief questions to clarify a point

Paraphrase your mentee’s words by repeating them in your own words

Summarize points to validate your understanding

Seek the overall message (avoid becoming diverted by semantics)

Respond to body language / verbal cues which may indicate you need to ask questions to explore further

Delivering Effective Feedback

Providing feedback improves performance and helps to build skills. Effective feedback from mentors enables mentees to improve their professional skills, through meeting frequently, providing information and guidance (not advice) and feeding back in a clear, approachable way.

Meet frequently Provide information and guidance

Feedback clearly in an approachable way

Make yourself available to your mentee

Feedback successes and problems to guide your mentee

Avoid undermining your relationship with your mentee caused by avoiding difficult conversations

Value time with your mentee as a time for mutual learning and professional growth

Avoid telling the mentee what to do

Engage your mentee with exploring more than one possible solution to a problem

Warn your mentee about potential negative outcomes to solutions / actions

Allow your mentee to take risks and experience challenges and even failure as part of his / her learning process

Praise your mentee for successes

Address issues directly and honestly but tactfully

Make your points as clear and easy to decipher as possible

Encourage your mentee to ask about anything that is unclear

Confront (tactically) your mentee to address ineffective work habits or behaviours

Effective Questioning Techniques

Asking effective questions can inspire your mentees to think in innovative ways. Questions can guide mentees to make better decisions, whilst discovering ways to develop themselves professionally themselves. Use open ended questions, and enable your mentees to progress through the questions that you ask, with these checklists for support.

Ask open-ended questions

Use opening statements

Avoid defensive responses

Stimulate more detail and emotion in your mentee’s responses

Offer the chance for your mentee to explain his / her point of view

Suggest that there is no right or wrong answer with your questions

Set a direction for the conversation

Use a provocative question to start the mentee thinking

Invite the mentee to consider new possibilities and contemplate things in a different way (e.g. how might technology change value chain programs in 5 years’ time?)

Avoid ‘why’ questions which can elicit a defensive response (E.g. replace why did you organize it like that? With how effective do you feel the organization was?”

Ask rhetorical questions rarely as these can be patronising or insulting

Avoid dead-end questions

Avoid closed questions (e.g. eliciting the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’) as this will stall conversation and minimize your interaction

Avoid questions that are too complex as they can derail a conversation (consider asking such a question as a ‘takeaway’)

Managing the Mentoring Relationship

Mentoring can involve challenges as well as rewards. Use these checklists as part of learning to negotiate occasional difficult situations or unexpected turns caused by unrealistic expectations, lack of serious commitment from the mentee, insufficient time or rumor / jealousy.

Unrealistic expectations

A lack of commitment Insufficient time

Develop a mutually agreed set of goals and expectations (e.g. time together, benchmarks for progress)

Renegotiate original expectations regularly

(As needed) reassess the mentoring relationship and adjust for unexpected changes

Formalize involvement in the mentoring process by including mentoring commitment in performance management process

Ask your mentee to evaluate the relationship to receive 360° feedback on your effectiveness as mentor

Adapt your schedule (once committed to being a mentor) to set aside enough time for your mentee

Consider identifying a new mentor if you schedule changes and you cannot commit the time

Delegate tasks (where appropriate and helpful) to your mentee

Rumors and jealousy

Maintain professionalism at all times

Strike a balance between publicising the mentoring program and ‘flaunting’ the special status of mentees

Suggest mentees share learnings with their peers and direct reports

Positive Ends to New Beginnings

End your mentoring relationship in a positive way to reinforce positively the efforts of both mentee and mentor, regardless of challenges experienced during the mentoring program. Use these checklists to support you to end the mentoring relationship effectively.

Thank participants

Avoid any potential feelings of inadequacy in mentees by thanking the mentee for his / her contribution to the relationship

Express encouragement for them for the future

Bestow kudos

Demonstrate the value you attached to the mentoring relationships

Discuss the mentee’s successes and talk through strategies to build on

Use encouragement to motivate your mentee to use new skills and tools in their ongoing work

The principle of a no fault conclusion

Be aware from the outset that either mentee or mentor can end the relationship (if necessary) without harmful consequences

Conclude any formal contracts as they began

Contents

• Overview of Effective Mentoring Practices– Benefits of a Mentoring Relationship– Components of an Effective Mentoring Relationship– Characteristics of an Effective Mentor– Build an Effective Supportive Role as Mentor

• Effective Mentoring Techniques– Active Listening in Communication– Delivering Effective Feedback– Effective Questioning Techniques– Managing the Mentoring Relationship– Positive Ends to New Beginnings

• Mentoring Program Activities– Create a Mentoring Agreement– Using the Mentoring Curriculum– Ending Ineffective Mentoring Relationships

• Recommended Reading on Mentoring

Create a Mentoring Agreement

During launch week, meet with your mentee and develop a formal mentoring agreement. Documenting your goals and expectations will clarify the direction and scope of your mentoring relationship.

Mentoring Agreement:

Overall goals for relationship

Expectations of how to work

together to achieve these goals

Meeting times (frequency,

duration)

How to record and monitor

progress

Confidentiality agreement

Signature of mentee

Signature of mentor

Reference document: Mentoring Agreement

Using the Mentoring Curriculum

Mentors and mentees will use the mentoring curriculum to focus learning every month on a new module. As a mentor, you will need to be familiar with the content of the modules to drive your interactions with you mentee, and prepare adequately for these interactions.

This section will support you with guidelines on:

How to use the curriculum when mentoring via

email

How to use the curriculum to provide additional

context to the mentee’s journal questions

How to use the curriculum to prepare for the

monthly mentoring call

How to use the curriculum in the quarterly forum

Conduct mentoring via weekly emails (1 of 2)

Mentee’s Email to MentorQuick Update

The mentee will:• Summarize work completed during the week and share stories• Reflect on progress made against the two targets identified with mentor the previous

week

Discussion Points

The mentee will:• Identify two topics (one or more from the module, optionally one from his / her value

chain work)

Discussion Point one:

For both discussion points the mentee will: • Reflect on current familiarity with this area in own work• Hypothesise about how to apply learning to current work• Discuss any current reading / research relating to this topicDiscussion

Point twoFollow Up: The mentee will:

• Ask the mentor for guidance / further information relating to these discussion points• Ask the mentor for additional tools, templates, examples

Target Setting

The mentee will:• Identify two target areas to focus on for next week (at least one relating to the

module) based on your assessment of your opportunities for development

Reference document: Mentoring Email Template

Mentor’s Email to MenteeQuick Update

The mentor will:• Summarize own work completed during the week and share stories

Discussion Points

The mentor will:• Address the two discussion points explored by in the mentee’s email, share examples

from own practice and respond to any requests for guidance, templates, tools etc.

Discussion Point one:

For both discussion points the mentor will: • Give a short description of own professional experiences relating to the discussion

point• Respond to mentee’s comments / hypotheses on the discussion point• Offer guidance and tools / templates as appropriate

Discussion Point twoFollow Up: The mentor will:

• Suggest related topics for further reflection• Key reading or professionals who are SMEs in this area for the mentee to engage with

Target Setting

The mentor will:• Validate the two targets identified by the mentee for focus next week and finalise these

to agree them (to ensure that they are relevant / supportive to the mentee)

Conduct mentoring via weekly emails (2 of 2)

Reference document: Mentoring Email Template

Review the Mentee Journal

Mentees will use the mentee journal to reflect and answer questions that are included throughout the mentoring module. The journal provides a safe environment for the mentee to document current learning, challenges and issues to share with his or her mentor.

Mentee’s Responsibilities:Reflect upon past and current value chain work to

provide examples in your answersSummarize your answers in two to three

paragraphs, highlighting examples, learning and challenges

Send completed answers to the mentor in preparation for the monthly call

Mentor’s Responsibilities: Review the mentee’s journal prior to the monthly

call Be prepared to share your feedback and guidance

on their answers

Reference document: Mentee Journal

Mentor’s preparation for the Mentoring Call:

Read the module your mentee is working through at the beginning of the month, so that you are familiar with the content.

Read the mentee’s journal to understand their answers to the mentoring module questions. Reflect on the relevance of the module content in relation to your mentee’s value chain work In your mentoring email one week prior to the call, agree targets for next week: you will discuss

these in your call Prepare for the mentoring call any examples you have, relevant to the previous week’s discussion

points to share with the mentee. (Also prepare any relevant tools / templates) Read the reflection questions the mentee has been asked to complete for this month, and

formulate a list of questions you can use to stimulate the flow of conversation on the two discussion points. Use the mentoring techniques (in this pack) to support you.

Prepare for the Mentoring Call

The monthly mentoring call will enable further discussion between the mentor and mentee on learning that has occurred throughout the month via email communications. Follow the steps below as you prepare and conduct the mentoring calls at the end of the month.

Represent Activities for Module 1 Represent Activities for Module 2

Key Monthly Activities for Mentee and Mentor

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri S / S Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri S / S Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri S / S Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri

Mentee

Mentor

Week Five Week One Week Two Week Three

Emailmentor

Emailmentor

Email Reply

Mentoring Call

Study moduleReflect on VC work

Study moduleReflect on VC work

Study moduleReflect on VC work

Prepare for following month's module

Emailmentor

Study moduleReflect on VC work

Emailmentor

Email Reply

Study moduleReflect on VC work

Prepare for the mentoring call

Agenda for Monthly Mentoring call

Mentoring Call Agenda

Introduction(5-10 mins)

• Introduce the call with an update about your week, and share personal or professional anecdotes to build common ground and strengthen your working relationship.

• Validate the agenda for the call: check whether the discussion points are still appropriate as far as the mentee is concerned.

Discussion Points(20 mins each)

Discussion point one: • Use your prepared questions to stimulate the discussion. Listen to your mentee’s experiences and

questions, and share examples. • Keep the conversation reflection oriented so that you discuss options for challenges, and create

actions for the mentee (and yourself). • Keep to the time to allow for both topics to be covered during the meeting

Discussion point two: • As above (20 minutes) NB the above structure is recommended, but depending on external factors

you many want to be flexible to meet your mentee’s needs)

Follow Up (5 mins)

• Summarizing the outcomes and actions from the call• Acknowledging your mentee’s success stories to create a sense of accomplishment. • Ask your mentee to identify two targets from your discussion to focus on for next week, and agree

these together.

Target Setting (5 mins)

The mentor will:• Ask your mentee to identify two targets from your discussion to focus on for next week, and agree

these together.

Mentor Quarterly Forum

Suggested Agenda for Quarterly ForumOverview The Mentoring Program Coordinator will facilitate these calls

• Introductions (if necessary)

Current Mentoring Updates

Mentors take it in turns to:• Provide overview of the value chain program of their mentee , its current stage of

implementation and the challenges

Round Table

• Mentoring Program Coordinator leads discussion of success stories and challenges of mentoring.

Module Focus

One Mentor (per forum):• Discusses the module they have worked with their mentor on that month• Explains areas where mentee needed support and guidance, and how they provided

the mentee with support• Invites other mentors to share their experiences from this or other modules

Actions The Mentoring Program Coordinator summarises actions from the meeting (e.g. sharing of tools, templates, links to latest reading on mentoring)

Mentee Quarterly Forum

Suggested Agenda for Quarterly ForumOverview • The forum will be hosted by one of the countries involved in the program, e.g. Ethiopia.

The mentee(s) from this country will facilitate the call and agenda. The schedule for who will host will be determined during the Launch Week.

• Mentees introduce themselves, and give 1-2 sentence summary of current work

Current Work Updates

The mentees will:• Take turns to share their current value chain work experiences• Share the challenges that they are facing• Share how the plan to overcome these challenges

Round Table

• Open discussion where mentees share suggestions from own experiences that can help to address these challenges (raised in ‘current work’ updates)

Module Focus

One mentee will:• Give an overview of the module they’ve been studying• Discuss how the module has supported his / her work• Invite other mentees to share experiences from this specific module (to build skills of

all mentees)

Project Focus

One mentee will:• Give an overview of their value chain project as a whole• Invite other mentees to share experiences relevant to the challenges / specifics of this

project

Mentee / Mentor Evaluation

To measure the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship, both mentee and mentor will complete an evaluation form at three intervals during the mentoring program. This will enable mentors and mentees to measure progress and address challenges as they occur.

Mentoring Evaluation

Separate forms for mentee and mentor

Opportunities to:

Reflect on progress made

Highlight challenges

Target areas to improve the

relationship

Provide feedback on the program as a

whole

Make continuous improvements to the

mentoring program

Ending Ineffective Mentoring Relationships

Occasionally mentoring relationships do not work, and it will then be appropriate for the mentee or mentor to end the relationship.  Understand these five indicators that a mentoring relationship is not working. Contact the Mentoring Program Coordinator to determine the appropriate resolution if this occurs in your relationship.c

Mentor not meeting expectations

Dependent mentees

Personality conflicts

Incompatible work habits

• Make it clear from the outset that either party can end the relationship if the agreed goals and expectations are not being delivered.

Mentees outgrowing mentors

• The mentee cannot learn to act independently of the mentee (i.e. is unable to make decisions on her / his own, or does not take any action if the mentor refuses to make decisions for him / her).

• A mentee and mentor do not get along, meaning meetings are combative and unproductive. Avoid this by becoming acquainted before agreeing to mentor a mentee and ensure personalities match.

• The working habits of mentee and mentor differ so completely that they are incompatible and mentoring cannot take place. There is little chance of a rewarding, mutually beneficial relationship.

• The mentee has learned all he / she can from the mentor. Support the mentee to find a new mentor suited to developing his / her skills further.

Contents

• Overview of Effective Mentoring Practices– Benefits of a Mentoring Relationship– Components of an Effective Mentoring Relationship– Characteristics of an Effective Mentor– Build an Effective Supportive Role as Mentor

• Effective Mentoring Techniques– Active Listening in Communication– Delivering Effective Feedback– Effective Questioning Techniques– Managing the Mentoring Relationship– Positive Ends to New Beginnings

• Mentoring Program Activities– Create a Mentoring Agreement– Using the Mentoring Curriculum– Ending Ineffective Mentoring Relationships

• Recommended Reading on Mentoring

Recommended Reading on Mentoring

• Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success: Sheila

Wellington and Betty Spence

• Managers and Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning: Chip R. Bell

• Hard Won Wisdom: More Than 50 Extraordinary Women Mentor You to Find Self-

Awareness, Perspective and Balance: Fawn Germer

• The New Managerial Mentor: Becoming a Learning Leader to Build Communities of

Purpose: Patricia J. Fritts

• Co-active Coaching: new Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and Life:

Laura Whitworth, Henry House, Phil Sandahl, Henry Kimsey-House