Becoming a Better Mentor Lesson Plan: Duration: 50 Minutes Teaching Method: Discussion References: Student Guide Teaching Aids/Handouts: Student Guide & Slide Presentation Reading Assignment: Student Guide (Note: Student Guide provides the instructor with needed detail) Lesson Objective: Comprehend how to become a more effective mentor. Desired Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe some attributes of effective mentoring relationships. 2. Explain how effective mentoring relationships are established. 3. Formulate your own examples of effective mentoring relationships. (NOTE: This lesson is designed to be given immediately after Mentoring: Building on Success) Lesson Strategy: This segment is designed to help unit commanders understand the art of being a mentor. Mentoring should not come across as a scary or complicated concept. While it owns a special term and holds a special place in the development of our members; at the end of the day it is the communication of information and experience from one person to another. It is conversation, but conversation with a purpose. Instructor Note: This lesson focuses on member to member mentoring.
This teaching outline provides an introduction, outline of the main points, and a conclusion to be adapted as required to meet the needs of a particular wing. The presenter should personalize the lesson to reflect the unique characteristics of the wing. Lesson Outline: MAIN POINTS: I. Attributes of mentoring relationships. II. How effective mentoring relationships are established. III. Examples of effective mentoring relationships. IV. Formulate examples of mentoring relationships Teaching Plan Lesson Objective: Comprehend how to become a more effective mentor. ATTENTION: Mentoring can be a mystifying concept. It s an official-sounding word. Thousands of books are written on the subject, each with a slightly different point of view. In reality, mentoring isn t really that complicated; but it requires some practice; some practice in the old-fashioned art of communication. MOTIVATION: When members leave, surveys indicate one of the top reasons they do is because they don t feel like their talents are effectively are used or valued. They join and they sit while the meeting happens around them. If given a job, they are given no instruction, no feedback, no communication. As you ve learned, mentoring is a structured relationship between a more experienced member (the mentor) and a less experienced member (the mentee). The point of mentoring is to develop the mentee, to get them into the routine and performing as well as they can, and to help them grow and develop so they become an effective member of the team. OVERVIEW: This segment moves beyond the generic structure of a mentoring program and turns to the specific skills and attributes of effective mentors. Commanders are expected to be mentors as part and parcel of their job;
Main Points: however, this discussion about the skills and attributes of mentoring should be shared among all unit members. TRANSITION: STATE: So let s take some of the mystery out of mentoring. MP I. Attributes of effective mentoring relationships A. To make the idea of mentoring a little more realistic, it might be easier for students to describe how it feels (ask students to describe each term): 1. teaching 2. coaching 3. bonding 4. counseling 5. role modeling 6. sharing 7. collaborating 8. helping B. Four points that help to define the relationship: 1. the goals of and the expectations about the mentoring relationship (always the development of the mentee) 2. the acceptance of the mentee to receive mentoring 3. the observations of the mentor about the mentee s performance 4. the resulting conversations that take place C. Mentoring relationships have their own rhythm 1. Based on the nature of the relationship, the subject at hand and the personalities of the mentor and mentee. 2. Not every interaction between mentor and mentee is mentoring. 3. The PDO as a specific mentor to new members. D. Mentoring relationships can be temporary relationships (short or longterm). They last: 1. as long as the mentee can learn and grow from the mentor. 2. as long as either party wishes for it to continue. 3. as long as the mission dictates. E. The difference between being a mentor and being a friend F. The power of questions G. Creating the mindset for mentoring. 1. Define the end-state you want for the mentee. 2. Visualize how that mentee will make the unit better. 3. Have the mentee describe (or help them to formulate) their goals 4. Based on the above a. jointly set goals with the mentee.
b. allow mentees to try; and recognize them when they get it right. c. help if they get come up short on the task, and allow them to try again. d. help them to balance their goals with the goals of the task and with the unit. e. Don t be afraid to let the mentee fail where the activity or lesson is not mission critical and where the risk is outweighed by the experience of failure. MP II. How mentoring relationships are established A. Overview 1. Sometimes mentors and mentees choose each other, sometimes the mentor is chosen for the mentee. 2. The role of the squadron commander in mentoring relationships. 3. The PDO as a specific mentor to new members. B. Mentoring relationships can be temporary relationships. They last: 1. as long as the mentee can learn and grow from the mentor. 2. as long as either party wishes for it to continue. 3. as long as the mission dictates. MP III. Examples of mentoring (from Hollywood) STATE: Let s examine some examples of mentoring from a place we can all relate: television. Some of these examples are from old shows, some from new shows A. MASH: Hawkeye and BJ Hunnicutt: B. ADAM-12: Malloy and Reed C. UNDERCOVER BOSS MP IV. Formulate examples of mentoring relationships STATE: Let s turn this back to you. It s now your turn to think about the mentoring that you ve had EXERCISE EXERCISE Think about three mentoring relationships that you ve had: two in CAP, one outside of CAP. Of the two that were in CAP, one must be a positive example and one must be a negative example. The example from outside CAP may be either positive or negative. Answer these questions:
Lesson Summary: Why did you choose these examples? What made the positive example stick in your mind? What would you emulate? What made the negative example stick in your mind? What would you do differently: as the mentor and as yourself in the mentee role now that some time has passed? What, if anything, positive can you draw from the relationship? This exercise is designed to accomplish two outcomes: first, it is to remind you of the mentoring relationships you ve had. At the same time, it is to help you remember what it was like sitting at the other side of the desk as you help someone else. SUMMARY: Mentoring can be a mystifying word, it s true. It s friendly but it s not a friendship. It s teaching but not the kind we re used to. It s coaching but without a clipboard and whistle. It s the product of a dedicated relationship where one partner helps the other partner to succeed. REMOTIVATION: A mentoring relationship can be extremely rewarding. When the relationship is effective, the success of that relationship can pay off years into the future. CLOSURE: The success of CAP depends on the ability of its members to help, train and guide each other. Mentoring is a critical tool in making this possible.