Mentoring FAQs

Mentoring  -­‐  FAQ’s   Q:  What  is  the  role  of  a  mentor?   A:  Mentors  are  asked  to:   • help  ensure  that  their  Mentee  has  a  successful  transition  into  Hill  Holliday, • act  as  a  confidential  and  trusted  advisor, • be  a  teacher  and  coach  to  the  Mentee, • serve  as  a  resource  and  repository  of  information, • partner  with  HR  and  the  Mentee’s  supervisor  to  problem-­‐solve  challenges  and  questions  that  may  arise including  performance  pitfalls, • assist  in  purposeful  networking,  and • provide  thought  and  guidance  on  leading  through  change Q:  What's  in  this  for  me,  as  a  mentor?   A:  You  will  grow  as  a  manager  and  coach.  You  will  likely  obtain  additional  experience  as  an  Agency  leader,  helping   you  in  your  day  to  day  interactions  with  your  teams  and  possibly  your  clients.  You  will  build  a  relationship  with  an   interesting  individual  who  is  looking  to  learn  from  you.  You  will  also  be  helping  the  Agency  continue  to  groom  the   next  generation  of  leaders  and  managers,  retain  talent,  and  preserve  our  culture.   Q:  How  will  I  be  matched  with  a  mentee?   A:  You  will  have  an  opportunity  to  meet  with  HR  to  discuss  your  personal  and  professional  goals  as  a  mentor.    That   information  will  then  be  evaluated  and  matched  with  the  information  being  received  from  mentees.    Other  factors   taken  into  consideration  are  client  assignments,  reporting  structures,  relevant  backgrounds  and  interests.  Mentors   may  have  more  than  one  but  not  more  than  two  mentees.   Q:  How  often  should  I  meet  with  my  mentee?   A:  You  should  schedule  and  keep  at  least  one  meeting  with  your  mentee  each  month  for  the  first  six  months.  Plan   each  meeting  for  a  minimum  of  one  hour.    After  six  months  meetings  should  become  less  regimented  and  should   occur  as  needed.    It  may  be  easiest  to  set  monthly  meetings  for  the  same  time  each  month  for  ease  of  scheduling.   Never  leave  a  meeting  without  confirming  your  next  meeting.   Q:  My  schedule  does  not  allow  this  to  work…what  can  I  do?   A:  Everyone  is  in  the  office  at  some  point.  Identify  a  time  when  you're  in  the  office  simultaneously  with  your   mentee.  Given  that  much  of  the  value  of  the  relationship  will  be  achieved  through  consistent  conversation  and   dialog,  you  may  find  that  scheduling  phone  calls  can  prove  equally  valuable  to  in  person  meetings.  The  mentoring   relationship  is  a  monthly  commitment  to  the  mentee.    If  your  schedule  will  not  permit  you  to  meet  with  your   mentee  monthly  either  in  person  or  via  telephone  you  should  consider  postponing  participation  until  your   schedule  becomes  more  manageable.   Q:  Where  is  the  best  location  to  meet  with  my  mentee?   A:  An  informal  setting  is  best  for  your  meetings.  Lunch  or  coffee  outside  the  office  makes  for  a  nice  change  from   the  daily  grind.  If  it’s  not  possible  to  get  outside  of  the  office,  move  to  a  conference  room  or  someplace   confidential  outside  of  your  office  to  provide  a  feeling  of  neutrality  and  to  avoid  any  distractions.  If  it  is  not   possible  to  meet  in  person,  schedule  a  phone  meeting.   Q:  What  should  we  discuss  during  our  monthly  meetings?   A:  You  and  your  mentee  should  articulate  initial  goals  for  the  relationship.  The  mentoring  relationship  can  focus  on   several  different  areas  including  skill  development,  career  guidance  and  professional  growth.  Using  these  themes,   you  may  choose  to  talk  about  the  business  as  a  whole,  functional  or  client  department  projects  or  networking  and   business  relationships.  Additional  discussion  topics  have  been  provided  in  your  mentoring  kit.   Q:  What  types  of  questions  should  I  ask  my  mentee?   A:  The  questions  you  ask  your  mentee  should  be  centered  on  the  goals  for  the  relationship  and  include  any   relevant  topics.  Some  illustrative  questions  to  ask  your  mentee  are  listed  below.  These  questions  should  provide  a   good  start  in  beginning  conversations  with  your  mentee:   Professional  Development   • What  successes  do  you  feel  you’ve  had  recently  in  your  job?  Why  were  they  a  success? • What  important  issues  have  you  been  addressing? • In  what  ways  do  you  feel  you  motivate  others  on  your  team? • Do  you  have  a  strategy  for  influencing  others? • Have  you  had  a  recent  circumstance  at  work  that  required  you  to  manage  conflict?  How  did  you handle  it? • Which  relationships  are  particularly  difficult  for  you  at  work? • Where  and  how  could  you  improve  the  effectiveness  of  your  team? • What  tough  decisions  have  you  had  to  make  in  your  job  recently? • What  changes  have  taken  place  in  your  department  recently?    What  opportunities  or  challenges  do you  feel  they  create  for  you? • What  decisions  are  easiest  for  you  to  make  and  which  ones  are  the  most  difficult?    Why? • In  what  ways  are  you  soliciting  feedback  about  your  performance? Career  Guidance   • What  prompted  you  to  take  your  current  job? • What  areas  of  your  career  would  you  like  to  develop? • What  do  you  see  as  the  next  logical  step  for  your  career?    What  doubts  do  you  have  that  you  may  be able  to  reach  the  next  step? • What  is  your  long  term  vision  for  your  career? • What  are  your  educational  goals? Personal  Development   • What  are  your  current  strengths  and  developmental  areas? • What  steps  would  you  like  to  take  to  improve  in  these  areas? • What  individuals/books/events  have  most  impacted  who  you  are? • Do  you  feel  that  your  work  life  balance  is  effective? • What  are  you  passionate  about? Q:  Will  I  formally  evaluate  my  mentee?   A:  The  mentor/mentee  relationship  is  very  different  from  the  manager/employee  relationship.  Mangers  are   responsible  for  the  day  to  day  management  of  the  employee’s  performance  while  mentors  provide  guidance  to  the   mentee  on  their  own  development  but  do  not  participate  in  any  formal  evaluation  of  the  mentee.  Furthermore,   Mentors  do  not  provide  feedback  to  their  mentee’s  manager.    Successful  Mentor/mentee  relationships  are   founded  in  trust  and  confidentiality.   Q:  Can  I  continue  my  relationship  longer  than  one  year?   A:  Of  course!  Beyond  the  one  year  mark,  mentor/mentee  relationships  continue  based  on  the  mutual  interest  of   both  parties.  Officially,  the  program  winds  down  after  twelve  months,  but  some  of  the  best  mentoring   relationships  continue  well  past  the  end  of  any  formal,  organizationally  sanctioned  timeframe.