MWE TOI PROJECTMentoring Women for Entrepreneurship

Project Nº 2013-1-ES1-LEO05-67314

GUIDELINES for MENTORING

Chapters

• 1. Introduction to Mentoring• 2. Information for Mentees• 3. Information for Mentors• 4. Introduction to Entrepreneurship• 5. Introduction to Networking• 6. Bibliography

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Mentoring

What is Mentoring?

What is Mentoring

• Mentoring is a developmental relationship between a mentor and one or more mentees.

• It is a relationship in which the mentor oversees the career progression and development of his/her mentee(s) and one that provides a mentee with essential functions such as counsel, challenges, and support.

In other words, mentoring is a mutually beneficial partnership between a mentor who possesses greater skills, knowledge and experience and a

mentee who is looking to increase his/her skills, knowledge and experience. This relationship, and especially because it is a professional

one, is based on trust and respect for one another.

Why Mentoring?

Why Mentoring?

• Mentoring supports and encourages people to manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential to develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.

Mentoring is widely recognised today as an extremely beneficial career development tool.

Why Mentoring?

• Those who have been enrolled in a mentoring programme enjoy a number of advantages vis-à-vis those who have not been mentored.

• According to studies, people who have been mentored, generally:

– achieve better results in their jobs; – advance more rapidly within the organisation,

industry or field of interest; – report more job and career satisfaction.

Types of Mentoring

Types of Mentoring

• Mentoring is not homogenous. In fact there exists a wide variety of mentoring programmes.

Mentoring programmes differ based on:

the level of facilitation of organisational representatives; the presence and quality of training for participants; how often the mentor and mentee(s) meet;the specific focus of mentoring

Types of Mentoring

• Formal mentoring shows a degree of prescribed structure• Informal/Natural mentoring means that mentoring partners

are accountable for their own participation• Mentoring under the MWE Project is placed somewhere

between Formal and Informal mentoring because while mentoring partners are responsible for their own participation this module brings some level of formalisation and organisation

Mentoring

Formal Mentoring

Informal/Natural

Mentoring

Supervisory Mentoring

Group Mentoring

Telementoring Situational

MentoringReverse

Mentoring

Formal/Informal Mentoring

• Nowadays, many companies use formal mentoring programmes in order to enhance employees’ career development. By investing their time, efforts and funds into mentoring programmes for their own employees, companies achieve lower turnover of their workforce.

• The MWE Project offers a platform which facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise between mentors and mentees which merges both formal (i.e. some level of organisation) and informal mentoring (i.e. partners are responsible for keeping up the commitment).

Formal/Informal Mentoring

• It is argued that formal mentoring is less effective than informal mentoring.

• Depending on the level of formalization of the selection process, formal mentoring may become too rigid.

• Informal mentorship tends to register higher satisfaction levels among mentees as they receive more support from their mentors as opposed to formally arranged mentoring.

To merge the best of two worlds it is important to ensure, that the mentoring under the MWE Project abides by the following principle:

Mentors and mentees select each other due to mutual attraction, similar interests and personality characteristics.

Good mentoring

“For a mentoring relationship to function well, it is not merely enough to have a perfect match between a mentor and mentee as suggested above. While this is necessary, it

is not sufficient.”

Therefore…

Good Mentoring

For mentoring to be successful it is essential that:

• Mentor and mentee both understand what mentoring is and what it is not;

• Mentor and mentee set and facilitate clearly-defined learning objectives;

• Mentor and mentee uphold effective and regular communication;

• Both mentor and mentee initiate regular contact with one another;

• Mentor and mentee hold periodic real or virtual meetings;

• Mentee feels comfortable contacting the mentor at any time.

Good Mentoring

Some basic rules to follow:

• Any successful mentoring relationship must be based on RAPPORT and TRUST.

• Expectations of both mentor and mentee must be explicitly stated beforehand and carefully managed – one should have expectations which are realistic. To this end it is very helpful to set modest goals and to plan strategies for achieving these goals.

• Mentor and mentee should establish their formal relationship in writing – the best possible way to observe this point is to establish a so called mentoring contract where both parties will list their expectations and specify when and where they would meet. The document can also provide an overview of the activities which will be covered in the mentoring.

• Mentoring relationships should be kept strictly professional.

• Both parties should observe the principle of confidentiality.

• Mentor and Mentee should agree on what and how much feedback should be given to the other.

Good Mentoring

As in any relationship, mentoring also has its pitfalls that mentors and mentees should avoid; for example:

• Mentor and mentee are not a good match;• Both mentor and mentee have unrealistic expectations;• Trust and rapport was never established;• Mentor and/or mentee lack time and/or skills;

Any mentoring relationship will be unique by definition. This will reflect the needs and skills of those involved. By the same token, the reward for both the mentor and mentee will be unique too.

Do not commit if you cannot deliver!

Mentoring & Soft Skills

Soft Skills

• It is important to realise that mentoring would be nothing without specific personality traits known as ‘soft skills’.

• It is crucial that both mentor and mentee possess these skills in order to secure successful communication and to allow for the process of mentoring to take place.

• Soft skills are required and expected from people to be successful in their professional and personal life.

Soft Skills Example

Soft Skills Importance

Soft Skills are very important in order to:

• Handle interpersonal relations

• Take appropriate decisions

• Communicate effectively

• Make a good impression

• Develop professionally

Soft Skills: 5 most important

Empathy• An essential soft skill, empathy means being able to put

yourself in the position of someone else. Empathising with the situation or point of view of other people is crucial in order to sidestep issues and avoid conflict.

Conflict resolution• When people are interacting, conflict is likely to arise at

some point. You should know what each person’s pressure points are and use these to diffuse tension.

• Learning and using conflict resolution skills can help you to ease potential conflicts before they occur, which can lead to better communication.

Negotiation skills• These are vital in everyday life. There should be win-win

solutions to every problem.Communication• Many people have different ideas of what

communication means, but it is important to know that it’s not only how you communicate with other people but also that different types of information and communication should be adapted to the messages at hand and the people involved.

Multitasking• In general, people should be able to manage multiple

and sometimes conflicting tasks in order to be more efficient in their every day life.

Soft Skills: 5 most important ones

Remember…

Chapter 2 - Information for Mentees

Why become a Mentee?Main benefits & advantages

• A professional partnership between mentor and mentee relies on the experience and knowledge of the former and the desire for and commitment to learning of the latter.

• To refresh our memory, we now know that mentors can provide valuable direction and clarification. Good mentors will be the so called ‘door openers’, a guide informing the mentees of opportunities and helping them to achieve independence. Mentees benefit from a relationship where the mentor listens and he/she offers a different and fresh perspective.

Who is a Mentee?

In a similar fashion that we were able to identify what it means to be a good mentor we can equally define a good mentee.

A good mentee is someone who:

• Is committed to learning• Has active listening skills• Shows openness and receptiveness to receiving feedback

and coaching• Has strong self-management skills• Is willing to take risks and who has a desire for self-

fulfillment• Who has a vision and is not afraid to develop it and turn

it into reality

Why it is important to plan

In order to mitigate negative effects of the match between mentor and mentee there is a number of rules that mentees (and mentors) can follow:

Discuss your aims and goals beforehand

Find out the strengths of your mentor and the areas in which your mentor feels able to assist

Do not expect your mentor to know answers to everything nor to help you with all problems

Self-Awareness of a Mentee

To reiterate the point made earlier mentoring is NOT:– Teaching– Therapy– Hierarchical relationship– Private lesson– Rigid agenda with strict procedures

It is important that both Mentor and Mentee are aware of this!

Self-Awareness of a Mentee

• We have previously explained that mentoring under the MWE Project is to some extent formalised and organised (see section on mentoring above) which also means that a mentor and mentee will most likely not know each other before they meet.

• It is important that the partnerships under the MWE Project are always an ideal match.

Chapter 3 - Information for Mentors

Outline of the Section

This section will:

• Explain who is a mentor

• Offer help in realising whether you would make a good mentor and help you understand what it means to be a good mentor

• Outline traps which mentors should avoid.

Who is a Mentor?

Who is a mentor?

• In simple language, a mentor is a guide to offer a mentee counsel and advice and who can help him/her find the right direction. Mentors are mostly professionals or former professionals specialised in the same or similar area of interest of a mentee. It is due to their exhaustive experience that they gain trust and empathy with their mentee and this allows them to help their mentee progress in their own career.

One of the very basic roles that mentees fulfill is confidence boosting. And while mentor should pose challenging questions to mentees, they equally need to offer them a great amount of encouragement and

inspiration.

Main benefits & advantages of becoming a mentor

As is the case for any relationship, the one between a mentor and his/her mentee is of one of mutual benefit. How can a mentor benefit from mentoring?

• First, having the opportunity to pass down knowledge to others gives a mentor an opportunity to leave behind a knowledge legacy.

• Second, learning is reciprocal. While it is true that the focus of mentoring and learning is on the mentee, sometimes the mentor can learn too.

• Third, by being active in society and by helping others, mentors often feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Main benefits & advantages of becoming a mentor

• Fourth, mentors often feel the need to “payback” the amount of support they themselves received in early stages of their career.

• Fifth, mentoring provides development opportunities for mentors as well as great personal satisfaction. Indeed, becoming a mentor may improve one’s leadership skills. Mentoring is both challenging and inspiring.

• Last but not least, mentors are professionals or former professionals who have achieved success in their personal life. By becoming a mentor, their achievements, work, commitment and results are acknowledged by wider society as well as the mentee(s).

Are you ready to be a Mentor?

Are you ready to be a Mentor?

• Are you willing and able to help a fellow farmer or someone considering becoming one to develop and achieve success?

• Are you prepared to invest time and effort in this?

• Are you a good listener and able to encourage others?

Continued

• …Are you interested in challenging yourself and helping others to reach further?

• Are you willing to share your personal knowledge and experiences?

• Can you keep matters confidential?

• If you answered yes to all of the above, you are predisposed to become a good mentor.

What it means to be a good Mentor

• As mentoring requires specific skills, character and knowledge, not everyone has what it takes to mentor! Great and useful mentoring requires genuine commitment as it consumes precious time and energy.

• Moreover and as previously explained, mentors often face external constraints such as organisational oversights. While the formalisation of mentoring facilitates interaction between a mentor and a mentee, it equally diminishes mentor motivation.

In general terms, a good mentor should:• ask questions and challenge• suggest networking opportunities• boost confidence and provide encouragement• offer advice

What it means to be a good Mentor

• It is also important to stress that for the purpose of mentoring women in rural areas mentors should be experienced in agriculture. Young farmers and those who desire to set up their business in agriculture tend to trust such mentors more.

A good mentor will help their mentee gain confidence and increased independence so that by the end of the training

he/she will become self-sufficient and successful.

What it means to be a good Mentor

A good mentor is:• someone with respect and with strong interpersonal

skills, organisational knowledge and exemplary supervisory skills

• who can listen and reflect upon what is being said

• who is interested and prepared to invest time in the mentee

• who is knowledgeable and open, prepared to share their own experiences; someone who is able to provide practical training;

• who has experience in agriculture and preferably a farmer him/herself.

What it means to be a good Mentor

A good mentor is someone:

• who challenges and offers advice;

• who provides encouragement, can be critical but always positive and with a can-do attitude; someone with personal power and charisma;

• who has a realistically positive outlook;

• who can bring people together; and

• who is flexible.

Traps to Avoid

Traps to Avoid

• To enhance one’s chances of succeeding in becoming a good mentor, one should be aware not only of things to do but of things to avoid, too! It is of essence that mentors avoid traps that can hamper the progress of teaching and learning.

A good mentor should NOT:• Be over confident• Say “You need me” or “I am the expert”

Mentoring is NOT:• Teaching• Therapy• A hierarchical relationship• Private tutoring• A rigid agenda with strict procedures

Traps to Avoid

• Mentors and mentees should be aware of what mentoring is and what it is not.

• Mentors should not feel obliged to help the mentee with all their problems nor should they feel bad when they cannot help.

• There will indeed be situations when the mentor will not have the skills or knowledge to answer mentee’s questions and he/she should not be shy to admit it. This is not a sign of failure but honesty.

• Equally, mentors should not feel obliged to get dragged into personal problems. If that is the case they should remind the mentee the boundaries of their professional relationship and if possible suggest alternative sources of help.

Chapter 4 – Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a capacity and willingness to develop, organise and manage a business venture.

• Entrepreneurs tend to operate in the areas of business in which they have already gained experience, either as an employer or an employee.

What is Entrepreneurship?

There are a number of reasons why people become entrepreneurs:

Economics – people’s desire to become self-employedPsychological, sociological and cultural factors have a noticeable impact on making individuals want to become entrepreneursNatural entrepreneurial capabilities of each person – it is believed that some of us have inert abilities to excel in entrepreneurship

Female Entrepreneurship

Female Entrepreneurship

In academia, the subject of female entrepreneurs was relatively unknown until the beginning of the 1980s. Since the end of World War II, we have seen a huge increase in work sectors with female employees as well as a jump in investment in education and training. This has resulted in the rise of female entrepreneurship.

Definition of female entrepreneurship:– 51% of the business has to be owned by a woman for it to be

able to be called a female-owned business– Business that was started, managed and owned by a woman

Who is a Female Entrepreneur?

• Women entrepreneurs are more confident about their skills, their networks are better developed and they are more alert to new business opportunities than other women.

• Women who become entrepreneurs find themselves moving between family life and professional life as they are active in two spheres of everyday life – in the family and at work.

• Female entrepreneurs contribute not only towards economic growth but also towards job creation and innovation.

• Women entrepreneurs tend to foster positive, trusting relationships among employees; they are more likely to share power and information and promote solidarity and passion in order to achieve a common goals and objectives

Obstacles to Female Entrepreneurship

Challenges for Female Entrepreneurs

• It has been proved that female entrepreneurs face more barriers than men when trying to start a new business.

• Female entrepreneurs are different from male counterparts in their management style, the size of their business or even when choosing the industry sector and applying new technology.

• Nowadays, women still find it troublesome even though they have good social contacts; they still lack the business contacts and self-confidence.

• While the gap between male and female entrepreneurs is progressively decreasing, there are still significantly fewer women entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs.

Challenges for Female Entrepreneurs

• Female entrepreneurs often have more social responsibilities than men (e.g. family duties) and have less business support or access to finance.

• The evidence shows that there are still fewer women than men who study science, engineering or technology and this often results in a limited ability of women to be innovative in business.

• Fear of failure, particularly for women who have never been in any entrepreneurial project limits the entrepreneurial activity.

• Women are also often deterred by low self-confidence.• Female entrepreneurs also have limited access to

networks, to information and to assistance

Obstacles and MWE

The purpose of the Mentoring Women for Entrepreneurship project is to help female

entrepreneurs and women wishing to set up in agriculture to overcome obstacles they face on day to day basis. The key element of succeeding in becoming an entrepreneur is education and learning from those with experience and knowledge. To this end, the MWE project offers a platform for exchange of expertise and facilitates realising entrepreneurial ambitions of future

female farmers.

Types of Female Entrepreneurs

Types of Female Entrepreneurs

• “Success-oriented” woman who chooses entrepreneurship as a long-term career– “Strongly success-oriented” – female entrepreneur who is

firmly focused on career, also at the expense of her family ambitions. Emphasis is given on career, not family

– “Dualist” – woman with entrepreneurial ambitions but one that balances work and family life.

• “Aimless” woman entrepreneur: a woman who is unemployed aiming to become an entrepreneur

• “Return worker”: a woman who after having taken some time off work (e.g. maternity leave, sick leave) finds herself unemployed or wishing to become self-employed and one that sets up her own business.

Types of Female Entrepreneurs

• “Traditionalist” woman entrepreneur: a woman for whom becoming an entrepreneur feels natural. Someone for who is expected to become self-dependent and self-employed.

• “Radical” woman entrepreneur: a woman who sets up initiatives intended to promote the interests of women in society.

Rural Entrepreneurship

Rural Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship which emerges in rural areas and which takes place in a variety of fields such as business, industry, or agriculture is called rural entrepreneurship.

• In some countries rural development can play a very important role in terms of economic development of poor areas.

• Farming is an example of rural entrepreneurship. Unlike their urban counterparts, the level of income is lower.

• Agriculture requires high investment and low returns in the first few years of business. Better entrepreneurship training can ensure success.

Chapter 5 – Introduction to Networking

Aims of Networking

• Because mentoring in the conventional sense (i.e. formal networking) cannot answer all questions that mentees may struggle with, there is an additional tool for future farmers to be used in conjunction with the mentoring programme –networking.

Networks take different shapes and forms and while young people tend to favour online networks, older

people may prefer a more traditional form of network – a face-to-face encounter with local

experts or peers.

Networking & relationships

• For mentoring to achieve the best results, mentees should make the best use of networks in their (local) communities.

• Networks are places where people freely exchange their experience and expertise and mentees can ask for advice and help, perhaps in an area where their own mentor could not be helpful.

• Networks, be it a national or regional farmers’ association or an online social site, serve as a marketplace for exchange of information between mentors and mentees, mentees and mentees and mentors and mentors.The main benefit of belonging to a network is access to

practical knowledge as networks operate as repositories of good examples.

Rewards of Networking

• Professional exchange within a network could help young rural women become entrepreneurs. There are some interesting facts that mentees and mentors should be aware of:

– Internet prevails as the tool of first contact

– In order to build a relationship based on trust, farmers still prefer face-to-face interaction. As we have explained before, mentoring is existentially dependent on trust and therefore personal contact between mentees and mentors is more desirable in the long-term than other forms of communication.

Problems of Networking

The main problems related to networks remain in the realm of access – i.e. some farmers still do not have access to fast broadband internet (if at all).

Moreover, for some farmers, geographical distance and a lacking infrastructure represent a hurdle difficult to overcome. This in fact cuts them off from networks.

Communication Skills

Communication Skills

• In order to make the most out of networking, communication skills can be useful.

• Communication skills consist of the ability to use language and express information. Effective communication skills are a critical element in learning based on monitoring.

• There are three most common ways to communicate:– Speaking – Writing– Body Language

Types of Communication

Communication is not a homogenous monolith but takes many shapes and forms. It is distinguished along many lines such as how much we know the person we are communicating with or which tools of communication we use.Communication as:

– Formal– Informal– Oral– Written– Gesture

Communication involves three components:

• Verbal Messages (the words we choose)

• Parverbal Messages (how we say the words)

• Nonverbal Messages (our body language)

How to Communicate?

• Effective Verbal Messages:

– Are brief, succinct, and organised– Are free of jargon– Do not create resistance in the listener

• Nonverbal messages are the primary way that we communicate emotions via our facial expression, posture and gestures. One should be careful to use them correctly and always bear in mind that while perfectly understandable to you, they may not be familiar to the person you are communicating with. Formal communication should be void of emotions.

• Paraverbal communication refers to the messages that we transmit through the tone, pitch and pacing of our voices. While some of us may not find them important, tone, pitch and pacing can change the meaning of a sentence. Pacing of our voice should never be too fast as it can make understanding difficult.

Effective and Efficient Communication

Effective and efficient communication successfully conveys the message without significant problems. These problems are posed by a number of barriers that stand between you and the person you are communicating with.

These are…

• Semantic Barriers• Emotional or Psychological Barriers• Organisational Barriers• Barriers in Superiors

Barriers to Communication

• Semantic Barriers: – Use of symbols with different meanings– Badly expressed message (e.g. grammar, spelling) – Faulty translation (in case of the use of foreign languages)

• Emotional or Psychological Barriers: – Premature evolution– Inattention– Loss of transmission & poor retention– Undue reliance on the written word– Distrust of communication– Failure to communicate

Receiving Messages - the other end of Communication

Receiving Messages i.e. Listening:

• Requires concentration and energy• Involves a psychological connection with the speaker• Includes a desire and willingness to try to see things from another's

perspective• Requires that we suspend judgment and evaluation

Key Listening Skills

Nonverbal: • Giving full physical attention to the speaker• Being aware of the speaker's nonverbal messages

Verbal: • Paying attention to the words and feelings that are being expressed

How to Develop Communication Skills?

No one is born with developed communication skills. In fact, the way we interact with one another is socially acquired to a large extent. In other words, our communication skills can be learnt and developed.

The best way to develop one’s communication skills is through the exploration of the following:• Oral Communication:

– Presentation skills– Audience awareness– Critical listening– Body language

• Written: – Academic writing– Revision and editing– Critical reading– Presentation of data

• Non-verbal– Audience awareness– Personal Presentation– Body language

Communication Tools

Communication Tools

There are a number of ways via which female entrepreneurs and female farmers can interact with one another or with potential mentors.

Among the most prominent tools are:

• Websites • Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter,

etc.)

Online Networks

http://project-mwe.com/content/networking

Example of an existing and successful network for female farmers is the PinkTractor website: http://www.pinktractor.com/blog/2014/3/25/agday14.aspx Or the equivalent : http://www.agrofoto.pl/;http://mlodyhodowca.pl/; http://www.baeuerinnentreff.de/

These websites often offer a link between farmers, young and old, women and men.

Online Networks

In a similar fashion, female entrepreneurs and farmers can join discussions in one or more groups or debates on accessible social sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

Of course, the nature of communication on social sites is different and it largely depends what purpose femal entrepeneurs would use them for.

While Facebook allows a more in-depth and elaborate communication, Twitter is a tool to be used for more brief and precise messages.

Guidelines for Mentoring -Bibliography

• Allen, E., Elam, A., Langowitz, N., & Dean. M. (2007). 2007 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.

• Chao, G.T., P.M. Walz, P.D. Gardner, "Formal and informal mentorships: A comparison of mentoring functions and contrast with nonmentored counterparts." Personnel Psychology, 45 (1992) PP. 619-636

• DeTienne, D.R., & Chandler, G.N. (n.d.). The role of Gender in Opportunity Identification. Enterpreneurship Theory and Practice, Vol. 31, issue 3, pp365-386.

• Eby, L.T., T.D. Allen, S.C. Evans, T. Ng. & D.L. DuBois, "Does mentoring matter? A multidisciplinary meta-analysis comparing mentored and non-mentored individuals" Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 72 (2008) pp. 254-267

Bibliography

• Friday, E., S.S. Friday, "Formal mentoring: Is there a strategic fit?" Managemet Decision, 4 (2002) pp.152-157

• Hamilton, R.T., & Harper, D.A. (1994). “The Entreprenurship in Theory and Practice”, Journal of Economic Studies. Vol. 21, No 6, pp3-18.

• Lockwood, N. (2004), The value of mentoring. HTTP://WWW.SHRM.ORG/RESEARCH/BRIEFLY_PUBLISHED/MENTORING

• Matthews, C.H., & Human, S.E. (2000). The little engine that could: Uncertainty and growth expectations of nascent entrepreneurs. In Reynold, P.D. et al., (Eds.), Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2000. Babson College, Wellesley, MA.

Bibliography

• Parsloe, E. The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring• POE, A. (2006) LAUNCHING A MENTOR PROGRAM.

HTTP://WWW.SHRM.ORG/HRRESOURCES.WHITEPAPERS_PUBLISHED/CMS_000424.ASP

• Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland (410) 268-6110 WWW.USNI.ORG

• Roche, G.R. "Much Ado about Mentors" Harvard Business Review, 57 (1979) pp. 14-28

• UNDERHILL, C.M. "THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MENTORING PROGRAMS IN CORPORATE SETTINGS: A META-ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE." JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOUR, 68 (2005) PP. 292-307

Bibliography

• Wagner, J. (2004). What a difference a Y Makes: Female and male nascent entrepreneurs in Germany, IZA DP No. 1134. Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit, Bonn, Germany, 2004.

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