The invaluable weekly mentoring sessions continued throughout my first term; the experience set me on the road to success and made me a staunch advocate of mentoring. In fact, in August 2019, I established a mentor-matching service on Twitter (under the handle @sbmmentors) and have since made more than 30 matches.
Although some have been good ones, others haven’t lasted, and I’ve learned a few things about what makes a successful mentoring experience.
Assess Experience and Areas of Support
Mentors don’t have to be SBMs with 15 or more years of experience under their belts. Each mentor-mentee relationship is unique and is shaped by the individual experiences of both parties.
When I match people, I ask the mentees for an overview of their experience and a summary of the aspects of the SBM role with which they want support. This need for support differs from one person to the next. Some mentees have been new to the profession and were looking for guidance to navigate their new role. Others have been experienced SBMs in search of support in career development. As they share what they are looking for in a mentor, they begin to think about what a good outcome looks like for them.
Mentors share their experiences and particular areas of strength, which provides a window into how they might best support a mentee. They often talk about the types and sizes of the schools they’ve worked in and for how many years, which is also essential information when making the match.
Prospective mentors receive information about mentees and decide whether they think they will be a suitable match. In these cases, it’s about relevant experience rather than the number of years spent gaining that experience. The best matches take into account the key areas of focus the mentee identified and how equipped the mentor is to support those particular areas.
I advise SBMs who are considering becoming mentors to do a self-audit to identify the critical areas in which they could offer support. The audit should look at whether the SBMs have a particular specialty or broad experience in a specific area. Have they completed relevant courses of study or earned certifications that qualify them to mentor someone?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to mentoring, so having a clear idea of what the mentors have to offer is an important step in considering them for a match.
Take Charge, Set the Scene
The first step in establishing a relationship is laying a foundation. The mentor should initiate a conversation with the mentee about how the relationship will work in a mutually agreeable manner.
This conversation should cover such areas as frequency and means of contact. Will they meet regularly, and if so, how often—weekly, monthly? Will meetings take place via scheduled phone calls or video calls? In the pandemic world, video calling has been beneficial for mentoring because geography doesn’t matter.
When defining the focus of the mentoring, it’s helpful to ask the mentees to rate each aspect of their role on a scale of 1 to 10, according to how well they feel they perform in each area. This assessment provides the mentor with a starting point for planning.
The next step is to brainstorm ideas about how to increase the score in each area, which helps identify training needs and opportunities. Using this strategy as a starting point allows for goal setting with identifiable review points along the way.
Honor the Commitment
Having set the scene for how things will work, the mentor must honor the commitment. Although the mentor needs to be present and available as agreed, it is also very much a two-way street. A mentee should contact the mentor regularly according to the agreed-on time line, which forms part of the psychological contract between them.
Mentors must challenge their mentees along the way; doing so will prompt the mentees to do the work necessary to meet the identified targets and goals. The challenge will make them stop and think about how they approach topics and do things differently.
Agreeing on a series of dates to meet or talk is helpful at the start. It provides both parties a chance to review and plan the next steps in the mentee’s development. The mentors’ role is not to plan the mentees’ work for them but to help develop the tools to improve the previously identified areas.
Communicate
Throughout the mentorship, it’s imperative to keep the lines of communication open. Mentors have a responsibility to listen, ask questions, and advise. Feedback is invaluable, but criticism must be constructive. Delivering feedback with a degree of empathy leads to a more effective mentoring process.
It’s helpful for mentors to step into their mentees’ shoes and share that they know what the mentees are experiencing. As tempting as it may be for mentors to steer the outcomes based on their own experiences, it’s better to use experiences as a basis to start the conversation leading to work toward the mentees identifying solutions.
Realize That Nothing Lasts Forever
The mentoring relationship is not a lifetime commitment; the initial conversations should include a discussion to identify expectations. Does a specific undertaking require mentoring, such as preparing to submit a fellowship application to the Institute of School Business Leadership, applying for a Meritorious Budget Award, or completing a professional certification? Is the goal of mentoring to develop and support skills related to specific aspects of a job, such as developing financial skills for budget monitoring and reporting or becoming more strategic?
A mentoring relationship should be designated for a specific period; the connection shouldn’t be allowed just to fizzle out. When goals have been reached, both parties need to acknowledge the fact and part ways. It’s fulfilling to reach the end of the mentoring period and reflect on the successes.
Keep a Record
One aspect of the mentoring experience as a professional development opportunity is documentation. Record-keeping expectations should be established from the beginning, including how much detail both parties will record and the purpose of the documentation.
Record keeping is a valuable tool for mentors to evaluate their professional development and reflect on how they approached the task. It also provides the opportunity to put together case studies. Similarly, mentors’ documenting the process demonstrates a commitment to professional development; it shows a proactive approach to managing the career trajectory.
These are just a few aspects of mentoring. If you’re interested in mentoring, visit @SBMMentors on Twitter or send an email to mentors@briscoecampbell.com for more information.