Self-Assessment

• Have a clear understanding of your motivation to be mentored
• Select a mentor based on your short-term goals and career interests
• Set your goals, objectives, and timetables
• Have a clear understanding of your expectations of your mentor
• Be proactive to find mentors
• Be realistic about time commitments
• Ensure a noncompetitive relationship
• Determine your areas of need
• Determine the help needed to reach your potential and goals
• Decide what you hope to gain by mentoring

Set the Principles

• Be respectful
• Be prepared
• Be reliable
• Be honest
• Follow through (do not make promises that cannot be kept)
• Demand and accept feedback
• Accept criticism
• Continually reassess your performance
• Act on your own initiative
• Recognize the limits of mentorship

Learn

• Actively listen and contribute to the conversations
• Do your homework
• Use other resources to look up useful information
• Demonstrate the ability to set agendas
• Ask what knowledge, skills, and expertise you need to develop further
• Discuss what you believe to be the strengths you already have
• Celebrate accomplishments
• Say “thank you”
• Give back to the profession by mentoring others

Note: These tips and procedures are broad guidelines and suggestions and do not necessarily have to be strictly adhered to. Every mentoring relationship is unique.

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others”

Jack Welc

Skills needed by both the mentor and mentee

• Listening actively: Demonstrate that you have heard and understood and show you’ve grasped the meaning and feelings behind the message.
• Building trust: Keep confidences shared, follow through on promises
• Encouraging: Compliment performance and accomplishments, point out positive traits, express thanks and appreciation.
• Identify current reality and goals: Know what is important, identify strengths an weaknesses, set goals.

Critical skills for mentors

• Teaching
• Inspiring
• Providing feedback
• Managing risks
• Opening doors

Critical skills for mentees

• Learning quickly
• Showing initiative
• Following through
• Taking responsibility for the process

Characteristics of an effective mentor

• Relevant knowledge and experience
• Enthusiasm for sharing this expertise
• Eagerness to invest in others
• Altruistic or acting in the best interests of the mentee
• A respectful attitude
• Great communication, ask great questions and guides mentees to the answer rather than just telling them what they need to do
• Reflective listening and empathy
• Honesty – Ability to give honest and direct feedback
• Trustworthiness
• Willingness to open doors and serve as a sponsor
• Ability to network and find resources
• Being accessible
• Recognizes the importance of mentorship, for both parties

Characteristics of an effective mentee

• Be open to feedback
• Be active listeners
• Be respectful of mentors input and time
• Be responsible for driving the relationship
• Pay attention
• Prepare for meetings and be punctual

Characteristics of a successful mentoring relationship

• Reciprocity
• Mutual respect
• Clear expectations
• Personal connection
• Shared values

Characteristics of an unsuccessful mentoring relationship

• Poor communication
• Lack of commitment
• Personality differences
• Perceived (or real) competition
• Conflicts of interest

The purpose of this guideline is to provide structure to the  mentoring process and to create a shared understanding of expectations from the onset to ensure an effective mentoring relationship.  Additionally, it creates a series of identifiable goals to work towards and to evaluate progress against.

Guidance on the mentorship process:

• The purpose of this guideline is to provide structure to the mentoring process and to create a shared understanding of expectations from the onset to ensure an effective mentoring relationship. Additionally, it creates a series of identifiable goals to work towards and to evaluate progress against.
• Every mentoring relationship is unique, and a certain level of flexibility is required of any mentoring framework. These guidelines are intended to serve as a rough outline for a successful mentoring relationship rather than a strict set of rules that must be followed word for word. Adaptability remains an important principle of this programme.

Initiation Phase

• Establish the relationship: During this time the foundation of the relationship evolves, mutual interests and goals are identified, and the supportive framework is established.
• Establish a shared understanding of mentor and mentee attributes: Understanding each other’s perceived strengths, weakness, challenges, and opportunities will help guide the relationship.
• Define goals: The mentee should create a personal mission statement, develop and document goals as an academic, and decide what his or her career will be about. This will allow the mentee to define pathways for success, set timelines, and establish priorities.

When defining goals, it is useful to analyze them using the SMART criteria:

S – Specific: Are the goals clear and specific?

M – Measurable: How will progress be assessed?

A – Attainable: Are the goals realistic and achievable?

R – Relevant: Are these the right goals at the right time, do they matter?

T – Time: Have you established a realistic timeline for achievement?

Although the thoughtful compilation of the goals of the mentoring relationship is a requirement, it is understood that items will change and adjust naturally to fit the needs of both parties as the mentoring relationship grows. Current plans are to revisit this frequently to adjust goals given the circumstances.

Mentees may need different mentorship at different stages in their development. This can be thought of as the Launch stage, the Cruise stage, or the Boost stage. In the launch stage the focus is on launching a mentee’s career by making sure that he or she meets short- term milestones. Once a mentee is launched, he or she needs a maintenance – or cruise – mentoring, with the goal of ensuring continued progress. At any stage mentees may also require a boost to define novel leadership or career goals and map out a trajectory for achieving them.10

It may also be useful to compile a list of skills and behaviors the mentee wants to develop. Examples include but are not limited to: Administrative skills, management skills, leadership skills, research skills, interpersonal skills, teaching and training skills, clinical skills, social connections, writing skills, presentation skills, public speaking, building collaborations, work-life balance, academic credentialling and promotion, CV preparation or any other items that could help prepare you to reach their career goals.

Establish expectations: Mentees are typically expected to:

• Treat mentor respectfully
• Respect differences in values and perspectives
• Devote an optimum amount of time and commit to the success of the partnership
• Schedule regular meetings with the mentor and maintain frequent communication
• Give advanced notice if a meeting must be cancelled and to reschedule meetings promptly.
• Collaborate to establish developmental priorities and goals.
• Share personal experiences and relevant information
• Seek critical feedback
• Enable learning rather than teaching
• Reflect on lessons learned even from efforts that were not successful
• Reflected on suggested solutions rather than suggesting solutions
• Be open to considering alternatives that may be outside their comfort zone
• Keep notes of meetings
• Look for multiple opportunities and experiences to enhance their learning
• Review their progress and adjust as they work towards their identified goals.
• Maintain confidentiality and build trust.

Mentors are typically expected to:

• Treat mentee respectfully and in a collegial fashion
• Respect differences in values and perspectives
• Make themselves accessible and available to the mentee
• Respond on a timely fashion
• Serve as a mentor and provide guidance, oversight, encouragement and help them work toward identified goals
• Address specific concerns
• Be well organized
• Engage fully during meetings
• Direct the mentee to appropriate resources
• Provide feedback regarding the progress
• Maintain confidentiality and build trust.

Establish timelines:

• It is recommended that timelines are established for both the achievement of goals as well as for the duration of the intensive (or catalyst) phases of the relationship.
• While some relationships may ultimately be indefinite, it may be fruitful to earmark a specific timeframe for relationship and at what point the relationship will be redefined. This period is typically 12 to 18 months, but it remains up to the mentor and mentee.

Growth Phase

• It is the mentee’s responsibility to contact the mentor for guidance, discussion or for the purposes of the scheduling a meeting.
• Mentoring meetings: Here relevant issues should be discussed and mentees should listen to the mentor carefully, analyze what he or she says critically, and provide feedback on what they have heard. In addition, they should ask thoughtful questions of the mentor

Before the meeting the mentee should:

• Make sure they have a clear understanding of the agenda and what they want to obtain form the conversation, and that this is communicated to the mentor.
• Be concise – what are the most pressing issues you want to cover?
• Provide all the necessary background information that can be useful for your mentor.

At every meeting try to discuss:

• Any issues or concerns the mentee might have
• The mentee’s academic progress
• Clinical and professional practice progress
• Subspeciality interests and career path
• Research progress
• Personal life issues
• The mentorship relationship – Are you both achieving your goals and satisfied with the relationship?
• Provide contact information for emergency/crisis situations
• Make arrangements for the next meeting
• Obtain the mentee’s consent if you want to obtain assistance or discuss any isues with a third party.

After the meeting the mentee should:

• Compile notes of the meeting.
• Reflect on the discussions.
• It may be useful to employ the 3-2-1 model. Note 3 things your learned from the encounter. Note 2 actions or changes you will make. Note 1 thing you will never forget.
• Do their homework (you must ideally walk away from each meeting with a task)
• Follow up with your mentor

Evaluation of the programme:

• In order to determine the merits, effectiveness or shortcomings of this initiative, formal evaluation of your feedback is necessary.
• It is therefore required of all parties to complete the feedback forms and submit them within the stipulated time frames so that, where necessary, appropriate adjustments can be affected in real time.

– For relationships with duration ≥ 24 months evolution to be done half- yearly

– For relationships with duration < 24 months evolution to be done yearly

• Mentees are requested to complete and submit the “Self-Assessment” form as well as the “Evaluation of Mentor” form. (See Annexures A and B)
• Mentors are requested to complete the “Evaluation of Mentee” form. (Annexure C)
• In case of non-compliance with the realistic expectations of the relationship the relevant party my direct their complaint to the coordinator who will endeavour to find an amicable solution.

Redefine Phase

• Upon completion of the pre-determined time period for the duration of the relationship the mentee and mentor should meet to discuss the future of the relationship.
• Upon completion of the pre-determined time period for the duration of the relationship both parties must submit evaluation forms to the coordinators of the programme