What do we need to include in our mentoring programme?

Mentoring budgets are usually quite tight. So there is often a conflict between what you need and what you can afford. Some things are essential. For example, if you don’t have training for both mentors and mentees and some form of continued support and learning over the following 12 months, you might as well not bother with the programme at all — lack of impact will make it harder to do it properly next time.

The matrix below is a simple way of having the discussion about what you can do with the resources you have. Core outputs relate to the overall purpose of the mentoring programme – what you expect it to achieve for the organisation and for the programme beneficiaries. Enabling outputs relate to factors that will support success of the programme – for, example, the skills and competences of the participants, having a steering group, resources to support participants over time and to offer them continuous learning about their roles.

This enables you to have a structured conversation with sponsors and influencers about the level of resources the programme needs, to be effective, and the costs of each element, both direct (money) and indirect (e.g. time). You may, for example, explore the importance of measurement, which may be a core requirement for some stakeholders but less so for others. Measurement can also be an enabler, because it makes participants think about the quality of their learning relationship and what they could do to get more value from it.

© David Clutterbuck, 2016

Prof David Clutterbuck
Coaching and Mentoring International Ltd
Woodlands, Tollgate,
Maidenhead,
Berks, UK. SL6 4LJ

www.coachingandmentoringinternational.org
e-mail: info@coachingandmentoringinternational.org
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