An overview of how mentoring will work

Mentoring contact can take several forms: face to face, telephone or email. It can cover a variety of time periods depending on the goal of the mentoring exercise.

Because the mentors are usually more experienced, they are likely to lead the first sessions. During the first session, the mentor needs to find out about the mentees' goals - what they want to achieve in the medium term.

Once the goals have been established, the mentors should provide some reality checks - guide the mentees by explaining if their goals are possible and if relevant use their knowledge and experience to suggest, what realistic short-term goals are more appropriate steps on the journey. It is really important that the expectations on both sides are clearly understood.

There are four key phases in the dynamics and process of a good mentoring relationship:

• Initiation of the relationship, be it by mentor or mentee or a third party, around a mutually agreed upon set of needs and/or goals.
• Development of the relationship whereby mentor and mentee establish and build trust and understanding.
• Maturity in the relationship that sees a strong relationship but may see the needs of the mentee change or be fulfilled.
• Disengagement from the mentoring relationship, because the goals and needs that were the initial impetus have been fulfilled.

Initiation, the first stage of the mentoring process is critical to the development and success of individual mentoring relationships. It involves laying the groundwork for the relationship between mentor and mentee, preparing the mentor for his/her new role and preparing the relationship, and planning for disengagement.

The developmental stage is communication rich, as both parties start on their learning journey, developing a trusting partnership that can develop specific goals, benchmarks for success, defining roles and responsibilities, and reaching a formal agreement that underpins an informed and successful relationship.

The mature phase of the relationship usually happens over a specified period of time, enabling and facilitating the growth of the mentee through support, challenge and independent perspective – a ‘critical friend’. The mentor manages the relationship in a way to support mentee learning, maintain and build momentum, encouraging her growth and movement towards goals.

The disengagement stage is a formal and normal part of the process of every mentoring relationship because mentoring is a goal-oriented process, and once the learning outcomes have been achieved it is time for the initial relationship to end. Sometimes mentors and mentees redefine the terms of their relationship at this point, or it formally dissolves altogether.