Mentoring A Powerful Tool For Change By Ann Rolfe. Following is a small sample of comments from an end- of- program feedback session:

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1 Mentoring A Powerful Tool For Change By Ann Rolfe "Life changing" was how one participant in a mentoring program described her experience and she was the mentor! While not everyone has such a dramatic response, most people engaged in mentoring report the value of the mentoring experience. Following is a small sample of comments from an end- of- program feedback session: "I was inspired it was life- changing a very personal experience new perspective on many things." (Mentor) "Learned an incredible amount extremely beneficial." (Mentoree) "The myth that the mentoee does all the learning is wrong." (Mentor) "Good sounding board for issues at work someone outside of the department, independent. " (Mentoree) How can the simple act of spending time in conversation with someone who may not even be an expert in your field have such a significant impact? How does a relationship, which may seem contrived and artificial at first, become an affiliation of confidence and trust? And, how does someone who is not a trained coach or counsellor, elicit the cognitive and behavioural changes evident in documented outcomes of mentoring programs listed below? Outcomes of Mentoring Programs Jobseekers matched with sustainable employment Small business growth Increased student retention More women in leadership roles A strong support network formed spontaneously during a restructure. Training needs and imediments to staff development identified New staff helped to settle in Improved teamwork and leadership Increased organisational knowledge Increased awareness or skills and potential. The answers seem to lie in: the approach taken in contemporary mentoring relationships; humans natural learning capabilities; and the synergy of human interaction.

2 Mentoring Works Article 13 Mentoring A Powerful tool For Change Page 2 of 6 The Contemporary Approach to Mentoring Who is the Mentor? Within organisational mentoring programs, it is less likely that a mentor will be recruited for technical expertise in a particular field. Mentors are valued for their breadth of experience. Mentoring is more process, than content oriented. Although mentors are often more senior in age and position, once the ice is broken, the mentoring relationship frequently becomes more like a conversation between colleagues. The aim of mentoring is to facilitate self- development, it is a vehicle for self- directed learning. The mentor is a resource and a support as the individual moves toward their own aspirations. Figure One contrasts the roles of instructor, coach and mentor. An effective mentor is one who is able to ensure that the individual does not become reliant upon them, rather is and independent decision- maker and self- directed learner. Figure 1: The Development Spectrum

3 Mentoring Works Article 13 Mentoring A Powerful tool For Change Page 3 of 6 What Does the Mentor Do? Participants frequently describe a mentor as "a sounding board"; the dictionary usually suggests "wise guide" and occasionally mentors take on the role of "devil's advocate". Brainstorming the question: "What do mentors do?" produced the following: Develop insight Identify development needs Expand possibilities Support and affirm Stimulate thinking Lead/respond Build independence Build rapport/trust Listen/question Offer another perspective Agree objectives Give/receive feedback Share wisdom Empower Focusing on process rather than content means that mentors use listening and questioning skills to elicit issues, goals, strategies and plans. The mentoring conversation (see Figure 2) is a basic problem- solving or decision- making model, whereby a person creates change through reflection, analysis, planning and active experimentation. The mentor does not say what should, or should not, be done in any situation. They skilfully withhold advice and limit suggestions, preferring to prompt the mentoree to generate options and evaluate the consequences of any action considered. Figure 2: The Mentoring Conversation

4 Mentoring Works Article 13 Mentoring A Powerful tool For Change Page 4 of 6 Structured Programs Contemporary mentoring in organizations usually involves: A strategy for recruiting, selecting and introducing mentoring partners; Providing some training and support to participants; Monitoring progress and evaluating results. Mentoring programs work when there are clear goals, adequate planning, ongoing support and sufficient resources allocated. Natural Learning Humans have survived because of their innate ability to learn. We go beyond the stimulus- response learning characteristic of other animals on the planet because of our cognitive capabilities. Humans are able to reflect on personal experience to gain insight, access information from sources outside themselves, set goals, select strategies, implement plans, actively experiment and evaluate the results. This is a natural learning process with which every individual is capable of. While most people undergo this learning process on their own, the old saying: two heads are better than one is the essence of a mentoring relationship. The reflection phase is enhanced by an objective listener and questioner. Information gathering is increased with an additional resource and reference person. Goal setting and action planning is more effective with an ally and the experimental phase is supported and debriefed with a critical friend. So, a mentor can be very effective simply by having a conversation that facilitates the natural learning process. But why is mentoring effective, when other forms of development may not achieve desired change? As we understand more about how humans change through studies of emotional intelligence and neuro- linguistic programming (NLP), it emerges that when people alter one or more elements (see Figure 3 below) the other elements shift too.

5 Mentoring Works Article 13 Mentoring A Powerful tool For Change Page 5 of 6 Figure 3. Elements of Change A mentoring relationship of trust and rapport allows really meaningful conversations to take place. These conversations impact on one or more elements: the thinking process, attitudes or feelings, and the behaviour of the mentoree. A change in one element results in a shift in the others. In other words, a mentoring conversation results in personal insight that may cause a person to re- think a situation. This changes their feelings or attitudes which in turn causes them to choose a different behavioural response. Alternatively, the conversation may alert the person to the possibility that doing something differently in a given situation may achieve a better outcome. They try the new approach, get a response that changes their emotional reaction (feeling/attitude), in turn causing them to think differently about the situation. Mentoring is not a substitute for training and education. However, it complements and supports the natural learning process and therefore increases return on investment in professional development. The Synergy Of Human Interaction In recent years, the obsession with restructuring - focusing on cost- efficiency, down- sizing and re- engineering the workplace - has impacted on the social and interpersonal aspects of organisational life. A purely mechanistic approach to organisational development fails to recognise the organic, human nature of every establishment. Even examinations of organisational behaviour from the early twentieth century revealed the influence of something as simple as human interaction. The well- publicised Hawthorn Studies 1 and the resultant Hawthorne Effect showed that productivity increases which at first appeared to

6 Mentoring Works Article 13 Mentoring A Powerful tool For Change Page 6 of 6 be an effect of altering environmental factors, were really a result of workers being given attention. Synergy literally means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We are all connected and today people need people like never before. Cultural, generational and gender differences, and global, economical and political forces make it essential that humans interact to find common spirit. Humans are the vital element in any organisational system. A change in any part of a system causes change in every other part. For better or worse, conversations and relationships do impact on individual and organisational performance. Mentoring conversations recognise that one person cannot impose change on another. However, by simply talking to one another, two people can have a profound impact on each other. To paraphrase anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never under estimate the ability of a few people to change the world. Indeed, these are the only things that ever have.