Mentoring is a very flexible program that can fit the needs of any given organization. Programs will vary based upon specific criteria, specific focus areas, and specific programs. However, there are areas that should never be included in a professional mentoring program. Here are the top four:
Matching – who should be involved?
If senior management has not participated in the matching discussion, they should not review the final list of matches submitted by the program manager and make changes, since the changes they are likely to make will not be based upon a clear understanding of mentoring. Get more FREE tips on matching here.
Mentor/Mentoree/Manager relationship – what does that look like?
The mentorees’ manager should never have a conversation with the mentor about the mentoring relationship. Although, one can argue that this conversation would be valuable in helping the mentoree develop, the downside is it confuses the roles of the mentor and the manager and compromises the issue of confidentiality between the mentor and the mentoree.
Importance of a mentoring program manager
A program should not be implemented without a program manager who is responsible to match, manage and support the pairs throughout the mentoring relationship. To not have a program manager means that the mentoring pairs are more likely to flounder and struggle instead of having a good, solid, productive relationship. Learn more about program managers in our previous post, What Role Does a Mentoring Program Manager Play in a Mentoring Program?
Talent review-should mentor participate?
The mentor should never participate in a talent review conversation about the mentoree. This is a job between the mentoree and the mentoree’s manager. Again this, compromises confidentiality.
If you avoid these four pitfalls, your program will be a lot more solid and generate better results.