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AIM Member Exchange Program | 1

AIM MENTORING

PROGRAM


CONTENTSIntroduction 3

Objectives 3

Mentoring 3

Mentee Benefits 4

Mentor Benefits 4

Mentoring Principles for Mentees 5

Mentees – How Will You Use Your Mentor? 6

Mentoring Principles For Mentors 7

Guide to Being a Effective Mentee: Mentee responsibilities 8

Guide to Being a Effective Mentor: Mentor responsibilities 9

Mentoring Relationship Foundations 10

Essential Skills for Mentors 11

Possible Challenges 14

Reviews and RID Model 15

Goal Setting 15

Getting Started 17

Topics 19

Final Mentoring Conversation 20

Ethical Requirements 21

Disclaimer 21

Appendix 1: Planner 22

Appendix 2: Sample Mentoring Plan 23

Appendix 3: Terms and Conditions 24

2 | AIM Member Exchange Program

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT MENTORING PROGRAMThe Australian Institute of Management facilitates a six month Mentoring Program, exclusively for our Members.

This handbook has been developed to provide an overview of the Program and act as a reference for best practice to support all participants.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVESMentoring offers an opportunity for Members to build their skills toward future goals and is an effective method for sharing knowledge and experience in management and leadership.

This program enables Members to join together to offer support to others in the management profession. It can be an effective strategy, contributing significantly to the personal and career development of both parties.

MENTORING IS…Mentoring can be found as far back as the ancient Greeks where a wise older person acted as a respected teacher to someone younger. This traditional view has evolved greatly into a relationship which is mutually respectful and beneficial for Mentee and Mentor. Contemporary mentoring is dependent upon the ability of a Mentor to be very present, actively and deeply listen and to share experiences and insights.

The respectful relationship within mentoring also creates an environment of mutual trust and safety. Mentors and Mentees need to be committed to giving time to the mentoring process with regular one-to-one sessions. These sessions allow Mentees to explore ideas, ask questions and try or practise various management, leadership or career strategies within a safe, supportive and confidential professional relationship.

AIM Member Exchange Program | 5 4 | AIM Member Exchange Program

MENTORING PRINCIPLES FOR MENTEESMentoring is a process – so have patience and be prepared to be stretched!

1. Learning through others is the key principle for the Mentoring Program. You may find there are gaps in your skill set which are different to those you were expecting.

In a new ‘learning situation’ our non-competence can be a source of anxiety which may result in both positive and negative outcomes whilst being conscious of this non-competence.

As we undertake learning to fill the gaps of this non-competence and improve our knowledge, skills and application we are in the process of becoming conscious of our competence. Again there are both positive and negative aspects as we consciously develop our competence.

There is comfort in having a truly known and ingrained competence and whilst this removes the anxiety attached with not knowing and needing to learn, we can become complacent in our ‘unconscious competence’. Depending on the circumstances, this ease can be either positive or negative.

2. Be responsible for your own mentoring experience. This includes being prepared for each Mentoring session; setting an agenda and documenting ideas from sessions, communicating openly and honestly; investing time and energy into the mentoring process.

3. If in doubt, ask. Don’t just battle on or withdraw. Speak with your Mentor or a Membership consultant to get the help you need.

4. You may “know” the answer, but just don’t realise it. Be prepared to look within and not just rely on your Mentor.

5. Mentoring doesn’t happen in a vacuum, be prepared for the challenges that will come along during the program. Time and availability are constant challenges when being mentored. The key is to be committed to the program and the process. Make it a priority and you will reap the benefits.

MENTEE BENEFITS § Learn from experienced managers and leaders

§ Develop your business networks

§ Increase your skills and knowledge

§ Gain insight into future planning and self-development

§ Develop your professional confidence and your own ability to support others

§ Share new perspectives with other Members

§ Set your goals, visions and values and work towards achieving your objectives

§ Reflect upon your experiences

§ Grow in confidence

MENTOR BENEFITS § Share experience and skills

§ Develop your business networks

§ Increase your profile in business and management

§ Share new perspectives with other Members

§ Satisfaction from contributing to a Mentee’s development

§ Reflect upon and articulate knowledge

§ Gain a different perspective from the Mentee

§ Explore your choices as a manager and leader plus lessons learned along the way

1 UNCONSCIOUSLY NON-COMPETENT – we don’t know what we don’t know and we don’t know that we need to learn this competency.

2 CONSCIOUSLY NON-COMPETENT – we know we don’t know this competency. We know we need to learn this competency.

3 CONSCIOUSLY COMPETENT – we know we know this competency.

4 UNCONSCIOUSLY COMPETENT – we don’t have to think about this competency – we just know it and do it (without conscious thought).

COMPETENCY

Based on Burch’s Conscious Competence Ladder


6. Be transparent regarding your goals and ideas with your Mentor. They can only really support, guide, challenge and advise you if they clearly know what you need.

7. Being prepared for each mentoring session – this is the key to success.

8. Treat the mentoring relationship with respect. In particular adhere to confidentiality and be prepared to talk through challenges, ideas and suggestions.

9. Take time to build rapport. This will be discussed further in “Getting Started”. It’s worthwhile to take time to get to know each other and find some common ground.

10. Mentoring isn’t management, counselling or therapy – so if you find yourself in need of one of these services we recommend you seek the appropriate professional assistance.

11. Commit to the mentoring process.

12. Confidentiality is vital and assists in building a trusting mentoring relationship.

13. Clarity around goals, boundaries and format is necessary.

MENTEES – HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR MENTOR? Mentees generally approach mentoring programs with specific goals in mind which they would like support to achieve. However, sometimes Mentees don’t know what to ask for or the scope that can be covered and Mentors may need to help them identify these.

Mentor roles:ak

ROLES A MENTOR CAN PLAY… A MENTOR CAN HELP TO…

§ ‘Devil’s advocate’

§ Strategist

§ Reflector

§ Sharer of ideas, stories and experiences

§ Active listener

§ Encourager and reality checker

§ Collaborator and communicator

§ Assist in goal setting and clarity

§ Explore potential

§ Improve sense of career direction

§ Encourage confidence to help drive forward

§ Support and assist plans for career development

MENTORS CAN ASSIST THE HERE AND NOW BY… MENTORS AND YOUR PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS…

§ Provide honest and constructive feedback

§ Increase knowledge and insight – new perspectives

§ Provide a safe environment to test ideas and weigh options

§ Act as a role model

§ Establish high performance standards

§ Assist development of a personal vision and success strategies

§ Increase personal motivation

§ Build confidence to accomplish more than the first thought possible

§ Enhance levels of confidence

MENTORING PRINCIPLES FOR MENTORSIt’s a process – so have patience and be prepared to stretch your Mentee. Your Mentee may find the learning process challenging as they realise areas that need to be developed. As a Mentor you will need to be mindful of the following:

1. Learning will be key. Realising there are gaps can be confronting if they are different to the gaps we came into the program expecting.

In a new ‘learning situation’ our non-competence can be a source of anxiety, this may result in both positive and negative outcomes whilst being conscious of this non-competence.

As we undertake learning to fill the gaps of this non-competence and improve our knowledge, skills and application we are in the process of becoming conscious of our competence. Again there are both positive and negative aspects as we consciously develop our competence.

There is comfort in having a truly known and ingrained competence and whilst this removes the anxiety attached with not knowing and needing to learn, we can become complacent in our ‘unconscious competence’. Depending on the circumstances, this ease can be either positive or negative.

2. The principle of Outside – In

Mentees usually come into a program with specific goals in mind. However, over the course of the program as a Mentor you may realise that the Mentee’s needs or gaps are to do with their ‘internal’ processes. For example, their values or attitudes; personality or communication style may be limiting their goal attainment or realising opportunities. These constitute the ‘in’ and can be addressed once a positive respect and rapport has been developed.

3. Be responsible for your own mentoring experience. Be committed, organised and available to your Mentee and to preparing for your one-to-one sessions.

4. If in doubt, ask. AIM can provide resources or mentoring advice. You’re not in this alone. Please also refer to the responsibilities of Mentors and Mentees to clearly understand who is responsible for what.

5. Your Mentee may ‘know’ the answer, but just doesn’t realise it. Mentors need to facilitate the exploration by the Mentee. As the Mentor you don’t need to fix the situation. The Mentee needs to take responsibility for themselves and their own learning experience.

6. Mentoring doesn’t happen in a vacuum – be prepared for the challenges that will come along during the program.

7. Be transparent regarding your expectations as a Mentor. It’s more than acceptable to set boundaries and have preferred ways of communication with your Mentee. Hold your Mentee to account when you set tasks for their growth and development.

8. Being prepared for each mentoring session equals success.

9. Treat the mentoring relationship with respect. Your Mentee has genuine needs and goals. Mentee and Mentor are equally important in the relationship and process.

10. Take time to build rapport. Getting to know each other is invaluable to building trust and creating a safe and transparent environment to have confidential mentoring conversations.

11. Confidentiality is vital and assists in building a trusting mentoring relationship.

12. Clarity around goals, boundaries and format is necessary – especially the boundaries so don’t assume, but do have a conversation about these aspects of the program.


GUIDE TO BEING AN EFFECTIVE MENTOR:Mentor responsibilities.

1. Make a work plan and a timeframe.

2. Plan for the next contact or meeting at the end of each communication and keep them.

3. Set and share agendas in advance.

4. Balancing time pressure is a common difficulty so discuss issues openly and re-negotiate as required. If there is genuine commitment, there is always a solution.

5. If you have not been in contact for a while, a quick “how are you going?” email to the Mentee is a good way to reconnect.

6. Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills showing empathy and building rapport.

7. Desire to share information, expertise and experience.

8. Be willing to invest time and effort in the relationship.

9. Commit to achieving the agreed objectives.

10. Assist the Mentee to unpack their ideas, aspirations and goals.

11. Encourage the Mentee’s potential.

12. Give constructive and honest feedback.

13. Aid in the decision making processes by listening, sharing and reviewing options.

14. Be willing to facilitate networking opportunities.

15. The essence of any good mentoring relationship is good communication. As the Mentor that means you need to be a good active listener. You need to engender trust and encourage your Mentee.

16. Mentors often expect the Mentee to contact them and ‘drive’ the program, but encouraging emails from the Mentor can be very helpful.

17. Supportively stretch your Mentee to step out of their comfort zone in the right direction.

18. Be collaborative and recognise achievements.

19. Develop authorship protocols early in the project so that expectations are clear.

20. Plan to evaluate the relationship periodically.

GUIDE TO BEING AN EFFECTIVE MENTEE:Mentee responsibilities.

1. Take responsibility for your own learning experience. You will get out of it what you put into it, so be prepared for each conversation/session and be proactive with your Mentor.

2. Be open with your Mentor, matches are made based on the value and experience your Mentor can provide, if you are not in the same geographical location, make use of email, phone and Skype. Your Mentor can only provide a different perspective if they know what you need. In return, be open to their ideas and feedback.

3. Set goals along the way to stay motivated, i.e. don’t just look at the long term view but the useful steps and learning that occur along the way.

4. Challenge yourself to keep striving forward and being prepared to take safe risks along the way.

5. Be committed to the mentoring relationship and mentoring process – it all takes time and is rarely a quick fix.

6. Respect the confidentiality of the mentoring relationship. Don’t just assume that everything is discussed in confidence – have an overt conversation about this.

7. Remember that your Mentor is busy and participates in this program free of charge. However be assured that Mentors have offered their time with a genuine interest in supporting you. They are very keen for it to work. Don’t be embarrassed or feel uneasy about asking for information.

8. Always confirm meetings. For example, if your meeting is on Wednesday, phone or email your Mentor by Monday and confirm the activity or focus of the meeting.

9. Do not be late for meetings or other obligations. If you are running late call the Mentor to explain. It’s a simple courtesy that goes a long way.

10. Ask questions. Think about your meetings well in advance and invest time in preparation. You will know what activity you will be doing, so think about what you want out of it. Record your questions and take them with you.

11. If you have a face-to-face meeting with your Mentor we suggest smart casual attire.

12. Ask the Mentor what you should call him/her. Don’t be embarrassed about asking, as it is courteous to ask rather than assume. Be conscious of not being over familiar with your Mentor.

13. Give your Mentor time to review drafts of documentation you are sharing.

14. Be practical with the amount of requests you ask of your Mentor.

15. If you have not been in contact for a while, sending an update of your progress can open the communication lines again.

16. If you receive no response after a significant period of time, please feel free to contact the Membership Team.


MENTEE RESPONSIBILITIES MENTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Take time to contact your Mentor, both in the initial stages and on an ongoing basis

Act as a source of information and/or insight into the professional field

Articulate areas of concern or interest and receive advice or observe professional practices

Provide practical business experience

Explore career opportunity and career development

Recommend career development opportunities for achieving professional goals

Think about goals before meeting a Mentor and be willing to openly discuss these goals with your Mentor

Assist with personal goal setting and planning

Identify weakness in your knowledge and application of professional skills

Assist with specific professional skills including job seeking strategies and resume writing

Develop a trusting relationship and share concernsListen with an open mind, challenging and encouraging the exploration of ideas

Explore professional practice Encourage professional behaviour

Embrace learning and exploration with enthusiasm and commitment

Facilitate self-directed learning

Be willing to listen and when appropriate take advice

Provide feedback on observed performance

Learn to accept feedback and use it positively Advise on effective coping strategies

Implement Mentor suggestionsConduct a skills audit to identify areas of strenth and opportunities for development

LISTENING:a

Benefits to your Mentee of active and deep listening:

§ Opportunity to share relevant information, or content

§ Feel understood for not only what they are saying, but for who they are

§ Feel positively accepted and affirmed for who they are

§ Given permission to be genuine and authentic, without fear of judgement

§ Freedom to process own emotions and values in order to better understand themselves

§ Opportunity to seek solutions

§ Opportunity to explore, be creative and contemplate different approaches without risk

Example of strategies that might be useful:

§ Devising a career plan using a business plan format

§ Mock interviews or role playing difficult conversations

§ Providing a strategic perspective

§ Values and strengths/skills audit

§ Connecting relevant networks to your Mentee


Probing this one up to create possible solutions.

OPEN QUESTION

ARTFULLY VAGUE QUESTIONS

PROBING QUESTION

USING METAPHOR

ROOT CAUSE

BRAINSTORMING

ANECDOTES

ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR MENTORSMuch of mentoring is conversation, asking those stretching questions whilst listening deeply to your Mentee. Some helpful reminders…

QUESTIONING:a

Probing down to get to the root cause and not just the symptoms.

MENTORING RELATIONSHIP FOUNDATIONS


ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR MENTORSThe GROW model - a useful model for mentoring derived from coaching.

MENTORING CONVERSATIONS – FOCUSING ON GOAL ATTAINMENTKolb, of adult learning theory fame referred to the “action learning cycle”. This cycle provides a very useful approach to mentoring conversations.

Using the above model, a series of reflective questions can be asked to help Mentee and Mentor keep focused and spend time and energy on those aspects of the Mentee’s goals that are significant. This is particularly useful and relevant for achieving goals.

GOAL WHAT IS IT YOUR MENTEE WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON IN THIS CONVERSATION?

REALITY WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW – WHERE ARE THEY AT?

OPTIONS WHAT OPTIONS, POSSIBILITIES OR STRATEGIES MIGHT BE USED?

WHERE TO NEXT WHAT ARE THE STEPS FORWARD?

GROW

1. REFLECT

2. EXPLORE AND INTERPRET

4. PLAN

5. ACT

3. CREATE POSSIBILITIES

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR MENTEE1. Reflect

a. What is your goal?

b. Why is this goal important to you?

c. What is your current situation and why do you want it to change?

d. Through mentoring, what are you learning to help you realise your goal?

e. What are you learning about yourself through the mentoring process?

2. Explore and interpret

a. How do you feel about what you’re learning and achieving?

b. Are your values being challenged or supported?

c. Are you taking steps in the right direction?

d. Are you thinking about your goals in a way that fits with how you see yourself or how you want others to see you?

3. Create possibilities

a. What opportunities are available to you?

b. What expansive strategies can you take to assist yourself?

c. What experiences and insights from your Mentor resonate with you and your needs?

d. What is the ‘blue sky’ you’re aiming for?

e. How will you know when you’ve reached it?

4. Plan for Action

a. What strategies will you try in order to move towards your goal?

b. What other role models might be useful to observe?

c. Who do you need to talk to in order to gain further insight?

d. What research would be helpful?

e. What specific steps have you planned to move you forward?

f. What does the end result look like?

5. Action

a. By acting upon your plan, what has occurred that you didn’t expect?

b. Is your time frame realistic?

c. Do you need to make any refinements to your plan or actions to move you forward in a positive manner?

d. What else or who else do you need to consider in your actions to achieve your goal?


REVIEWSThe value of reviewing your Mentoring progress.

It’s recommended that during your Mentoring Program you put in place some review sessions so that as Mentee and Mentor you can have a candid conversation about how things are going in terms of style, format, relationship, goals, and action items. A simple but effective way of doing this is to have a RID conversation.

For example do you want to remove the ‘Mentee sets the agenda’ and instead, take it in turns to set the agenda? Do you want to increase the number of action items resulting from each conversation? Do you want to decrease the formality of the mentoring sessions and start meeting over coffee rather than in an office?

GOALS.A useful reminder for Mentees (and Mentors) is to make program goals S.M.A.R.T. Goals should be:

POSSIBLE CHALLENGES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Lack of engagement

Mentee: Your Mentor doesn’t respond to emails requesting mentoring sessions – try ringing even if you have to go through the main office line. Mentees, make sure you do this with respect and identify yourself as a Mentee from the AIM Program. If still no response, please contact the Membership team at AIM to see if they can find out what the problem is. Ask for help!

Mentor: Your Mentee isn’t doing follow up actions or committing to mentoring sessions – phone and have a transparent conversation about your concerns and find out if there is anything going on for the Mentee which is affecting their engagement. It may be one of the issues below, so best way forward is to try to identify the issue, if they won’t let you know, please contact AIM who will approach the Mentee directly.

Conflict of Interest

Either Mentee or Mentor may find that there is a personal or professional conflict of interest. Firstly, this needs to be acknowledged and discussed as to how much of an impact or restriction it’s going to cause. If it is a major issue, please notify AIM so the Mentee can be rematched in the next cohort if a match is unable to be found. The basis of a good mentoring relationship is one of openness and trust – conflict of interest may prevent this from occurring.

Mismatch Sometimes a match looks ideal on paper but in reality there is an unexplained personality clash – these things happen. If that is the case and you feel you can’t tolerate the Mentee or Mentor, please let AIM Membership know so a new match can occur in the next cohort if you are unable to be matched.

They want counselling

Sometimes the Mentee or Mentor is going through a difficult time professionally or personally. It’s important that the Mentor (or Mentee) doesn’t need to provide counselling – this isn’t their role and not likely to be trained in this. Although mentoring doesn’t happen in a vacuum and a Mentee may share some issues of a personal nature, the Mentor doesn’t need to fix it. Rather, Mentors please refer your Mentee to their GP or other support services such as an EAP provider. Naturally this is done with compassion and sensitivity. If you’re unsure how to proceed, please contact AIM Member services.

Unrealistic expectations or goals

Mentees – it’s always important to remember that your Mentor is there as a Mentor and not a recruiter, not a ‘one stop solution point’, and not a best friend. They are there to be an objective confidant who you can learn from. Always best to keep in mind the roles of a Mentor as discussed previously in this resource guide.

Mentors – there can be instances when you realise your Mentee’s goals or aspirations could do with a reality check. If given within a trusting and supportive relationship and delivered with sensitivity and a solution focus this can be a very useful process for the Mentee to explore alternatives or identify gaps within their experience, skills or knowledge for them to move forward.

REMOVEWhat needs to be removed from the way your mentoring is occurring?

INCREASEWhat aspects of mentoring do you want to increase?

DECREASEWhat aspects of mentoring do you want to decrease?

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

ACHIEVABLE

RELEVANT OR REALISTIC

TIME BOUND

R

S

I

M

D

ART

POSSIBLE CHALLENGES



When setting your goals for the Mentoring Program (or for anything else) this formula will ensure that you consider all aspects of the goal.

It’s also worth considering what obstacles may block you from achieving your goals. Predicting these obstacles allows you to create strategies to overcome them, making your goals more achievable.

SPECIFICWhat do I actually want to achieve? What specifics does it include?

MEASURABLEHow will I know that I have achieved my goal? How will I measure its achievement?

ACHIEVABLE

Is it within the realm of reality for me to achieve this goal? Do I have the required qualifications, skills and experience to achieve this?

RELEVANT OR REALISTIC

Is this goal relevant to professional career development? Is it realistic to be trying to achieve this goal at this stage of my career?

TIME BOUNDHow long am I going to take to achieve this goal? Is my timeframe realistic?

Kolb’s Action Learning Cycle referred to earlier is a good way of addressing the SMART elements of a goal also. It’s useful to ask yourself Kolb questions when addressing the SMART elements to see if your responses at Explore and Interpret, and Create Possibilities impact your SMART goal outcomes.

1. REFLECT

2. EXPLORE AND INTERPRET

4. PLAN

5. ACT

3. CREATE POSSIBILITIES

3. Have a conversation about the type of style/format/structure you’d prefer for the mentoring conversations and negotiate this with your Mentor. Remember, the one-to-one sessions are flexible and arranged between each Mentor/Mentee pair.

Your preferences for -

✓ Frequency of meetings

✓ Time/place of meetings

✓ Face-to-face/phone/email

✓ Notes from meetings

4. Be committed. Advise your Mentor if you will be having a particularly busy time or away on leave so you can both work around this. They may have boundaries around the amount of contact – please respect this.

5. Have an overt conversation about confidentiality. Is there anything that doesn’t need to be confidential?

6. AGENDA – to be provided for each Mentoring meeting. Recommend 3 days prior to meeting to allow time for your Mentor to prepare for your meeting.

7. It’s useful to keep track of your discussions so you can review your progress.

8. Confirm next meeting date, place and time at the conclusion of each meeting.

GETTING STARTEDA guide to your first one-to-one mentoring meeting

MENTEES:The following is a suggested guide to getting off to a positive start with your Mentor.

These fundamentals will assist you to make the most of this mentoring relationship and the time you have together.

1. Have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the program and be transparent about this with your Mentor. They are best able to assist you if they know what you want.

2. Take time to get to know your Mentor as a person – building rapport takes time and effort so make sure you are prepared to openly contribute. An example of key discussion points are below:

a. Major strengths

b. Areas of growth

c. Interests

d. Things in common

e. Career overview – not just the job titles and companies but what did you love or loathe about each particular role

f. Key lessons learnt so far in your career



TOPICSThere are no prescribed topics but below are some options to assist if needed:

✓ General leadership skills and qualities

✓ How to build a positive personal brand

✓ Understanding the future directions of business

✓ Business acumen

✓ How to think strategically

✓ Available networking opportunities

✓ How to develop a certain skill set

✓ What is required of corporate leaders

✓ Options for dealing with issues and challenges

✓ Navigating the politics of business

✓ Understanding and navigating the global business environment

✓ Emerging business trends

✓ How to be influential in business

✓ How to effectively manage change

✓ How to raise your profile internally and externally of the business

✓ Key lessons learnt from others or mistakes

✓ Core values the Mentor has as a leader/manager of business and people

✓ Marketing self

✓ The value of ‘giving back’

Many topics will be industry, role or company specific. Many contributing factors to your career development will need to be addressed rather than taken for granted.

Your topics of discussion and goals are your own. There is much value in taking time to think strategically and objectively as possible about the goals being explored within a mentoring program.

One key to making the most of the mentoring relationship is for Mentees to not view the relationship as having a personal tutor or recruiter, but as having an objective adviser to support their own development and growth. Mentors, there is no expectation that you will fix the Mentee’s situation – rather that you’ll facilitate a process for them to discover and grow.


✓ Method of communication - face-to-face/phone/email

✓ Notes from meetings

4. What boundaries do you need to set in terms of amount and type of contact from your Mentee?

5. Be committed. Advise your Mentee if you will be having a particularly busy time or away on leave so you can both work around this. Both of you will need to be transparent and flexible.

6. Have an overt conversation about confidentiality.

7. Are there issues that shouldn’t be discussed, such as office politics? If this is a concern, please discuss with your Mentee.

8. Agenda – to be provided by the Mentee for each mentoring meeting. Recommend 3 days prior to meeting. This time frame is designed for you to have enough time to prepare for the mentoring session.

9. It’s useful to keep track of your discussions so you and your Mentee can review progress.

10. Confirm next meeting date, place and time at the conclusion of each meeting.

MENTORS:We would suggest you use the following as a guide to achieving an effective start with your Mentee.

These fundamentals will assist you make the most of this mentoring relationship and the time you have together.

1. Mentees need to have a clear idea of what they want to get out of the program and be transparent about this with you. You may need to ask some specific goal based questions if they have difficulty articulating this need.

2. Building rapport – some suggestions of aspects to cover when you’re getting to know each other are listed in the Mentee section. Please help build rapport by asking questions, showing genuine interest and sharing your own career story.

3. Have a conversation about the type of style/format/structure you’d prefer for the mentoring conversations and negotiate this with your Mentee. Remember, the one-to-one sessions are flexible and arranged between each Mentor/Mentee pair. It’s a good idea to establish:

✓ Frequency of meetings

✓ Time/place of meetings


ETHICAL REQUIREMENTSDuty of care requires that Mentors undertake all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of the Mentee. Mentees and Mentors must behave in an ethical and responsible manner at all times. Anyone who experiences any uncertainty or discomfort with the mentoring relationship should contact the AIM Membership team immediately.

DISCLAIMERThe role of the Mentor is voluntary and will vary according to the individuals involved, and the agreed goals. Neither the Mentor or AIM warrant that a particular outcome will necessarily be achieved and neither AIM or any Mentor has any liability to any Mentee in respect of any failure by the Mentee to achieve any particular goal or desired outcome.

FINAL MENTORING CONVERSATIONThe final (official) mentoring meeting offers a useful time to reflect upon what has been achieved in the program. This meeting may fit within the program timeframe or may, through mutual consent be outside of the structured program dates. Whenever you both sense that the process of achieving the Mentee’s goals is completed it is appropriate to review your time together.

Below is a suggested format.

REFLECTIONS

MENTEE:

§ What have I achieved through the mentoring program?

§ I’ve learnt the following from the Mentoring relationship in regards to:

- My program goals

- About myself

- About mentoring others

MENTOR:

§ What have I achieved through the Mentoring Program?

§ I’ve learnt the following from the mentoring relationship in regards to:

- My program goals

- About myself

- About mentoring that I can apply to my leadership role

Next – explore Mentee’s future professional and personal development.

Then – discuss how the mentoring relationship will function moving forward.



APPENDIX 1: MEETING RECORD AND PLANNER

DATE TIME VENUE PROPOSED ACTIVITY

NOTES & FOLLOW UP

NEXT MEETING

1. Create a work plan.

2. Discuss and agree on objectives.

3. Articulate short-term and long-term goals:

SHORT TERM GOALS (1 YEAR)

1.

2.

3.

4.

LONG TERM GOALS (3-5 YEARS)

1.

2.

3.

4.

4. Articulate short-term and long-term goals:

Managing your career Leading teams Cultural competence

Speaking before groups Writing grants Collaborating effectively

Designing research Managing data Networking

Managing time Managing staff Managing conflict

Hiring personnel Managing budgets Giving feedback

Finding resources Mentoring others Navigating institution

Evaluating literature Finding funding Establishing goals

Writing manuscripts Assessing students Teaching effectively

Business Plan design Marketing Plan design Social media analysis

Preparing for promotion Knowing career paths Organisation dynamics

5. Plan activities to meet mentorship needs.

6. Set meeting agendas.

7. Set realistic timeframes.

8. Plan periodic evaluations of the relationship.

APPENDIX 2: SAMPLE MENTORING PLAN


APPENDIX 3: TERMS AND CONDITIONSThe following terms and conditions (“Terms”) will apply to the Australian Institute of Management (“AIM”) Mentoring Program (“Program”) whereby a member of AIM (“Mentor”) Mentors another member of AIM (“Mentee”).

The duration of the Program is six months. The Mentor and Mentee agree to actively participate in the Program for the full duration of their engagement. The Mentor and Mentee are welcome to continue their relationship past this time and these terms and conditions however no longer part of this agreement, nor AIM’s remit.

The Mentors and Mentees are required to attend a mandatory face-to-face two hour initial briefing.

The Mentor and Mentee agree to be available, responsive to each other’s needs and willing to adjust schedules as necessary as per The AIM Mentoring Program Guidebook.

As part of the Program, the Mentor and Mentee agree to establish contact for a minimum of one hour each month. Contact includes (and may not be limited to) face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, video conferences, voice-only conference calls, e-mail, voice over internet conversations, online chats, video, or live messaging via the internet.

(Note: Though any and all forms of communication between the Mentor and Mentee are encouraged, it is recommended that e-mail not be used as the initial or exclusive communications tool between the Mentor and Mentee, but rather as a support process for other forms of direct communication).

The success of the Program relies on the quality of thoughtful insights provided by the Mentors, and the quality of proactive questioning and response by the Mentees. AIM therefore acknowledges the importance of matching individuals appropriately and as such, endeavours to leverage the benefits of the Program through carefully choosing the Mentor and Mentee Partners. As a result, matching will focus on experience and values, therefore, not all Mentors and Mentees will reside in the same geographical location. Where an appropriate pairing cannot be made immediately, AIM will advise the Mentor or Mentee and endeavour to seek an appropriate match within the next group of Mentees that apply.

The Mentors and Mentees must be AIM Members at the time of application.

No Remuneration

The Mentor and Mentee understand and agree that participation in the Program is voluntary and no expenses incurred by the Mentor or Mentee will be paid for by AIM.

Advice

The Mentor and Mentee understand that any advice given to the Mentee is advice given from the Mentor, and does not in any way represent AIM views.

The Mentor and Mentee understand that AIM cannot be held liable for any resulting consequences experienced by the Mentee because of advice given by the Mentor.

Conflicts of interest

The Mentor must state forthright any organisations that a Mentee may work for that may be in conflict with their own line of business where it may be deemed inappropriate for a professional relationship to take place.

During the course of the professional relationship, should a conflict of interest for either party arise, it is recommended by AIM that the Mentoring relationship cease immediately.

AIM must be notified in this event.

Confidentiality

The Mentor and Mentee understand that all meetings are confidential and that it is necessary to keep information sourced from meetings confidential. It is expected that confidentiality and privacy of both the Mentor and Mentee will be strictly adhered to and that failure to do so may result in termination from the Program.

Behaviour and Conduct

The Mentor or the Mentee will not under any circumstances attempt to sell products or services to profit in any way from the relationship.

It is expected that within the Mentoring relationship there will be no bullying, abuse or misconduct on the part of the Mentor or Mentee and that failure to abide by this will result in termination from the Program.

Termination of the relationship or Program

The Mentor and Mentee understand that if the Mentoring relationship is not working for any reason, that the AIM Membership Team will be notified immediately to ensure that the matter is addressed.

The Mentor and Mentee understand that AIM may cease the Mentoring Program at any time. The Mentor and Mentee may continue their relationship by mutual agreement in this instance.

The Mentor and Mentee understand that AIM may cease their participation in the Program should the Mentor or Mentee’s integrity come into dispute or they engage in illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, misleading or defamatory conduct.

The Mentor and Mentee understand that if for any reason they can no longer participate in the Program for personal reasons, they need to notify the AIM Membership Team.

Terms and Conditions to be signed and returned to [email protected] within 7 days of the cohorts commence date.

Signed by the Mentor

Mentor name

Date

Signed by the Mentee

Mentee name

Date


NOTES:


For more information, please email [email protected]

or visit aim.com.au/mentoring

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