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40 Speak Out October 2016
The success of individual partnerships in the Speech
Pathology Australia Mentoring Program improved considerably
when the matching process became mentee driven at the
start of 2014. The article below is from The Art of Mentoring’s
) August newsletter for more
information regarding factors influencing the success of mentoring
relationships.
Ultimately the success or failure of any mentoring relationship
comes down to just one person, and it may not be the person
you are expecting.
It is easy to argue that with a mentoring relationship, like any
other relationship, “it takes two to tango”. The success of the
relationship is reliant on the contribution of both the mentor and
mentee.
One could also posit that since the mentor is usually the person
with greater experience and maturity, he or she must take
responsibility for establishing fertile ground for a relationship.
One could even argue that in a structured mentoring program
the program manager has a part to play in the success of the
mentoring relationships. The training and structure provided by
the program manager is necessary to kick start a successful
relationship.
All of these arguments have elements of truth. There is no doubt
that mentees, mentors and program managers all have a role to
play in creating a strong mentoring relationship.
However, the one person responsible for ensuring the “success”
of that relationship is the mentee.
From the outset, mentoring relationships are more one sided
than the “two way street” of a friendship or family relationship.
Mentoring programs are invariably structured to benefit the
mentee, whether the mentee is a junior staffer preparing to step
into a more senior role, or an executive being reverse mentored to
better understand technology.
The success of the mentoring relationship, for both the individuals
and the organisation, is reliant on the mentee moving forward in
some way.
In the end responsibility must rest with the mentee to derive
benefit from the relationship. This responsibility includes:
• clarifying what they hope to gain from the relationship;
• making sure meetings happen;
• arriving at meetings with an agenda, or at very least a clear
idea of what they want to discuss;
• following up after meetings to summarise any actions agreed.
Mentors, who are usually volunteering their time and expertise,
are a resource the mentee has been privileged to access. They
should not have to chase or corral their mentee to force them into
gaining value from the relationship.
Mentors and program managers should be on the lookout for the
danger signs that a mentee is failing to take responsibility for their
own success. These signs include:
• the mentee “disappears” for lengthy periods of time, failing to
organise meetings or follow up on promised actions;
• the mentee sits and waits for pearls of wisdom, rather than
arriving with a clear agenda;
• the mentor is diligently writing notes at meetings, while the
mentee is not;
• the mentor is sending follow up and confirmation emails
rather than the mentee.
Pre-screening of mentees and good training should help to
ensure that mentees are sufficiently committed and aware of their
responsibilities that these behaviours will not arise. But if they
do, it would be wise to swiftly call the mentee to account. Make
them aware that not only will this behaviour limit the benefit they
will derive from the mentoring relationship, it is also disrespectful
to the mentor who has volunteered their time to help and shirks
their responsibility to an organisation that has invested in their
development.
For more information about the Speech Pathology Australia
Mentoring Program go to:
Mentoring/SPAweb/Members/Mentoring or contact Meredith
Prain (Tuesdays only).
SPOTLIGHT ON
PROFESSIONAL
SUPPORT
Keys to a successful mentoring relationship
Meredith Prain
Professional Support Adviso r