Matching criteria
| Mentee | Mentor |
What is your need from mentoring?
| What kind of mentoring can you offer?
|
| Do you need a mentor in a nearby location? What is your location? | Do you prefer to have a mentee in the same location? What is your location? |
| What is your level in the organisation? Would you prefer a mentor who is:
| What is your level in the organisation? Would you prefer a mentor who is:
|
| Do you require a mentor from the same discipline or another discipline? Which disciplines:
| Are you willing to work with people from other disciplines than your own? Which disciplines:
|
Do you have any specific preferences in terms of:
| Do you have any specific preferences in terms of:
|
Guidelines for mentees
Need from mentoring
Mentors can play many different roles, according to the mentee’s needs. In selecting a mentor it is important to consider what kind of significant transition am I looking to make? In general, a mentor you may choose to help with a specific, short-term technical issue would not be the same person as a mentor to help you with longer term acquisition of managerial or behavioural competencies, or with career planning. If you have several different requirements, it is usually best to have more than one mentor.
Location
How important is it for you to meet face to face with your mentor?
Consider:
- If both parties have to travel to meet, they are less likely to let meetings slip
- Proximity makes it easier to have face to face meetings at short notice
- Can our discussions be managed fully or mainly through e-mail? (In general, e-mail works best with more technical roles or tasks.)
Level
In general, mentors tend to be at least one level more senior than mentees. For career planning, for example, it helps for the mentor to have wider perspectives on the organisation. However, in some areas of learning, such as diversity, mentoring can be very effective between peers or even with someone more junior. The system will recommend mentors more senior than you, unless you request a peer or junior.
Discipline
In general, a mentor from the same discipline is usually of most help for technical roles and tasks. For a new management role, it may be preferable to seek someone from a different discipline, who has extensive management experience – to pursue a management career, you will need to develop an understanding of disciplines beyond your own.
Preferences
Consider which of the options you would a) feel most comfortable with and b) learn most from. Make a judgement about which will give you greatest value. In general, mentoring relationships of the same race or gender tend to have a higher level of motivational support and empathy; those of mixed gender or race tend to generate greater learning and career support.
Information to add to your profile
Your mentor will find it useful if you include the following information in your profile:
- Any previous experience as a mentor or mentee
- Your learning journey – some details about the significant learning you have acquired in the past three years, how you acquired it, and the learning you would like to achieve over the next three years. (For example, powerful experiences, from which you have been able to draw important and useful lessons.) If possible, add some thoughts about how you like to learn – through discussion, observation, trying things out, reading and so on.
Guidelines for mentors
Need from mentoring
Mentors can play many different roles, according to the mentee’s needs. In selecting a mentee, it is important to consider what kind of significant transition can I help someone to make? Transitions you have been through (in terms of role, formative experiences and so on) are a major resource for guiding others. In general, the mentor someone may choose to help with a specific, short-term technical issue would not be the same person as a mentor to help them with longer term acquisition of managerial or behavioural competencies, or with career planning. If they have several different requirements, they may have than one mentor.
Location
How important is it for you to meet face to face with your mentee?
Consider:
- If both parties have to travel to meet, they are less likely to let meetings slip
- Proximity makes it easier to have face to face meetings at short notice
- Can our discussions be managed fully or mainly through e-mail? (In general, e-mail works best with more technical roles or tasks.)
Level
In general, mentors tend to be at least one level more senior than mentees. For career planning, for example, it helps for the mentor to have wider perspectives on the organisation. However, in some areas of learning, such as diversity, mentoring can be very effective between peers or even with someone more junior. The system will recommend mentees more junior than you, unless you or they request differently.
Discipline
In general, a mentor from the same discipline is usually of most help for technical roles and tasks. For a new management role, it may be preferable for the mentee to seek someone from a different discipline, who has extensive management experience – to pursue a management career, they will need to develop an understanding of disciplines beyond their own.
Preferences
Consider which of the options you would a) feel most comfortable with and b) learn most from. Make a judgement about which will give you and the mentee greatest value and will best sustain your interest and involvement. In general, mentoring relationships of the same race or gender tend to have a higher level of motivational support and empathy; those of mixed gender or race tend to generate greater learning and career support.
Information to add to your profile
Your mentee will find it useful if you include the following information in your profile:
- Any previous experience as a mentor or mentee
- Your learning journey – some details about the significant learning you have acquired in the past three years, how you acquired it, and the learning you would like to achieve over the next three years. (For example, powerful experiences, from which you have been able to draw important and useful lessons.) If possible, add some thoughts about how you like to learn – through discussion, observation, trying things out, reading and so on.
NOTES
- The cells in green are those recommended for the pilot. Those in white options for the next phase.
- Mentors in the career planning, management skills and new management roles categories will need a limit on the number of mentees they can take at any one time – say two. The system will therefore need to block putting forward anyone who has their quota already.
© David Clutterbuck, 2015
Prof David Clutterbuck
Coaching and Mentoring International Ltd
Woodlands, Tollgate,
Maidenhead,
Berks, UK. SL6 4LJ
www.coachingandmentoringinternational.org
e-mail: info@coachingandmentoringinternational.org
Company registration number : 08158710