MentoringMentoring Practices

K. J. Sudarshan, Ph.D

They don’t care how much you know,

until they know how much you care!

We make a living by what we get.

We make a life by what we give.

- Winston Churchill

Odysseus while embarking on his voyage to fight the Trojan war, entrusted his son Telemachus to a teacher called Mentor.

The term ‘Mentor’ comes from this name.

A mentor is a motivator, counselor, supporter, leader, change agent, guide, pathfinder, inspirer, coach and advisor all rolled into one and more.

Mentoring is a relationship between a mentor and protégé that aims at providing focus and intensive self-development, career guidance, and general assistance in an atmosphere of trust and confidence

OverviewΨAreas of Mentoring ΨTypes of MentoringΨSuggested model ΨThe single most important

element in the mentoring processΨE mentoringΨTraining MentorsΨMentor compensation

1. Areas of MentoringΨ Professional/career

orientedΨ Personality

Development related

Ψ AcademicΨ Dealing with

interpersonal issues and problems

2. Types of MentoringΨNatural

Mentoring

ΨPlanned Mentoring

Natural Mentoring

ΨIt occurs through friendship, teaching, collegiality, coaching and counseling. Mentoring goes on in Class rooms, Extension activities, Sports and so on.

Planned/Formal Mentoring   

It occurs through structured programs in which mentors and protégés are selected and matched through a formal process.

3. Suggested Model.

Suggested model . ΨIDENTIFICATION. The orientation program for the

incoming students can be a little more elaborate where the mentoring needs of each student can be identified. This will help in proper mentor-protégé matching.

  Pre-admission study of the student will enable the managers to categorize the students. The student profile is initiated at this stage. Some psychological/aptitude tests are also conducted if necessary. In addition to this, the available pool of motivated and trained mentors is also checked at this stage

Suggested model Ψ ASSIGNING OF THE MENTORS. The whole body of students will be

divided in to groups of equal size in correspondence with the available pool of lecturer-mentors.

Each mentor is assigned students from all classes. This will foster student-student interaction (“buddy system”) between the protégés under the care of the same mentor

It is also profitable to classify the students in to groups such as1. Premium, 2. Average, 3. Challenged, and see that each mentor gets a comparable number of students from each group

Suggested model. Ψ PROCESS.Weekly or fortnightly meetings in a formal

setting are planned according to a structured schedule. Initially the mentors formally guide the protégés, gradually the protégés feel encouraged to meet the mentors on their own initiative, or even fix meetings among themselves, under the supervision of the mentor

The protégés under each mentor selects a leader from among themselves on rotation. The whole team will work as one entity with a name, motto, vision and objectives

Suggested model . ΨANTICIPATED OUTCOME. The protégés will get individual

attention of the mentor. The mentor may invite other facilitators to the group for guidance. Inputs are given for improving of the soft skills.

Academic mentoring aiming at trouble shooting in areas of learning, attendance and examinations will be a constant feature of the mentor-protégé meetings. Marks and attendance records of the protégés are made available to the mentors.

Suggested model .

Ψ NURTURE. Talents have to be identified and

more importantly nurtured. It requires high level of involvement. The mentor has to provide adequate challenges to his protégés.

Suggested model. ΨMONITORING and ASSESSMENT. An apex body constantly monitors the

mentor-protégé activities and dynamics, mainly through the inputs recorded in the protégé record book. The mentors are responsible in submitting notes whenever necessary to the apex body

Suggested model. ΨSMOOTH TRANSITION OF

SYSTEMATIC MENTORING INTO PROCESS MENTORNG.

In systematic mentoring the roles and schedules are specified; mentoring is useful, but not central to learning or development; meetings are occasional and structured; the focus is short term and action centered.

In contrast, Process mentoring leaves the roles open subject to negotiation over time; mentoring is central to learning and development, the contacts are regular and spontaneous, the relationships are long term and personal.

4. Most Important Element

Ψ The single most important element of the whole system is

the Mentor

The Mentor

Ψ 1.    A mentor should not be forced into a mentoring role. A reluctant mentor is worse than no mentor.

Ψ 2.    A mentor should be a role model with a decent level of integrity and values.

Ψ 3.    He must inspire his protégé towards an all round development with constant measures of building confidence and trust. He must be approachable.

The MentorΨ 4.    He must be a good listener and be

loyal. He must constantly overcome the temptation of exploiting the confidence placed on him by his protégé. He should not take undue advantage of the trust he enjoys with his protégé. A mentor should not be a “tormentor.”

Ψ 5.    The students should be able to see that their mentor is going out of his way to help them.

6. Training of Mentors.

6. Training of Mentors. Ψ1.    This involves entrusting 5 potential

mentors to a trainer (a senior teacher) over a period of time.

Ψ2.    Allow them to plan their own informal training/orientation sessions.

Ψ3.    A mentoring training manual may be made available to the trainers in CD or printed page format.

 ”The Cascade Model”

7. Mentor CompensationΨ The Mentor is more

than compensated on seeing his protégé doing well in college and later in life.

Ψ He also enjoys life long respect and gratitude from his protégé in terms of lasting relationships and appreciation

Mentor CompensationΨ However, the efforts and

time invested by the mentors can be duly recognized by means of events like special dinners, role of honor on special occasions, presentation of special ties or pins, invitations to seminars on mentoring, distribution of books and other materials on Mentoring and so on.

Behind every successful person, there is one elementary truth. Somewhere, someone, in some way cared about his growth and

development- Donald Miller

“A mentor is like a tattoo, it stays with you forever”

End of presentation

ΨTHANK YOU