1. Academic Mentoring

2. Overview What do we mean by ‘Mentoring’ Rationale
Principles underpinning the process
Mentor Role vs Manager Role
What ‘zone’ is the Mentee in?
The Mentoring Cycle
Mentor Skills
How you can prepare for your Mentoring Meetings?

3. Mentoring Definition
‘Off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge work or thinking’ (Clutterbuck 1990)
‘To help and support people to manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be’ (Parsloe, 1992)

4. Rationale
The rationale for Academic Mentoring is to support the professional growth of the individual who is in the early stage of their career and to promote excellence in teaching & learning, research and academic leadership

5. Mentoring Principles The Mentee drives the Mentoring agenda
Engagement is on a voluntary basis for both the Mentor and the Mentee
The Mentoring relationship is confidential
Mentoring is non-directive in its approach
It is a relationship built upon trust and mutual respect
The Mentor empowers the Mentee to take responsibility for their own learning and career development
The relationship places no obligation on either party beyond its developmental intent
It is distinct and separate from the Performance Management Development System (PMDS) in UCD

6. Manager vs Mentor
It is not the role of the Mentor to interfere with Mentee’s day to day activities or objectives
The Mentee may however, wish to discuss how they can improve daily activities with the Mentor
The relationship between Mentee and Mentor is confidential

7. Zones DEAD COMFORT ZONE ZONE STRETCH PANIC ZONE ZONE
Linda Richardson’s book – page 15.
Everyone lives and works predominantly in one zone. There is movement back and forth but most people stabilize in one place – at least for a period.
Dead Zone
People who live here are not actively interested in improving. They take no initiative to get better.They do not seek out the things that make them change. Typically they are people to whom things happen. They are resigned to things as they are and more importantly as they were. They are disengaged.
Comfort Zone
People in this zone want to be effective. They have been successful in the past and want to continue to be so – so they do the same old things that worked before. Unfortunately these people have made a dangerous assumption. They have failed to see that everything in their world continues to change – everything but them. They think they are open – but really they are not. These people have blinkers on.
Panic Zone
This is the zone of reactive adjustment. People here care very much or they wouldn’t panic. But because they feel panicked, they can’t learn well or perform well here. Burnout happens here. Quality suffers. People are pushed into indecision. People here don’t feel competent to handle what is before them. Panic creates exhaustion diminishing and draining everyone. People in this zone do not feel in control.
Stretch Zone
People in the stretch zone are actively involved in their work and are committed to developing themselves. They are looking to change in a major way. They actively seek to do things differently. These people do not feel threatened by change. They see it as an opportunity. They believe that they can control their destiny by their actions and approach. People in this zone understand that they have blind spots and that they must be open to feedback to compensate for them. Individuals learn best in the Stretch Zone. In the stretch zone, incremental, planned development offers the best opportunity for growth – a step at a time, continuously moving forward, stretching without breaking.

8. Mentoring Cycle Phase 3 Phase 1 Maturation & Clarifying Closure
1. Building Rapport
2. Contracting
3. Direction Setting
4. Progress Making
5. Maturation
6. Closure
Phase 3
Maturation &
Closure
Phase 1
Clarifying
Expectations
Phase 2
Productive
Phase

9. The Mentoring Cycle
Rapport-building: Developing mutual trust and comfort
Contracting/Ground Rules: Exploring each other’s expectations of mentoring
Direction-setting: Agreeing initial goals for the relationship
Progress making: Experimentation and learning proceed rapidly
Maturation: Relationship becomes mutual in terms of learning and mentee becomes increasingly self-reliant.
Closure: Formal relationship ends, an informal one may continue

10. Skills Required By Mentors
Ability to build rapport with the mentee
Communication skills
Feedback skills
Questioning skills
Listening skills
Interpersonal skills

11. Questioning Styles For Mentors
Assertive
Opening horizons
Creating insight
Unfreezing
assumptions,
values and beliefs
Challenging
Probing
Building values and beliefs
Drawing together
Setting boundaries
Creating confidence
Confirming
Testing

12. How Mentors Help Others Learn
‘The Guide’ Hands on guidance, explaining how and why; creating opportunities to learn
‘The Challenger’ ‘Making Waves’; challenging, stimulating, questioning, probing
‘The Role Model’ Unseen, largely unfelt. The Mentee unconsciously adopts aspects of the mentor’s thinking behaviours and/or style

13. Key Points ‘Contracting’ at the beginning of the partnership e.g.
Discuss and clarify each other’s expectations
Be clear about roles
Agree logistics such as meeting arrangements (location, frequency etc.)
Maintain a structure i.e. clear goals, actions between meetings
Review relationship regularly – is it still of value?
Continue only as long as there are goals to achieve
Mentor style is guiding and facilitative
Keep it confidential