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Mentoring: A Professional Development and Succession Planning Strategy
Presented by: Ruby H. Greene, MPARHG Consulting ServicesLiza L. Long, RNCobble Hill Health Center
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Mentoring
• What is mentoring?• Mentoring as problem solving
• Mentoring as an art• Mentoring, another leadership tool• Mentoring for succession planning
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Mentoring
• Mentoring roles and responsibilities
• Desired characteristics of a mentor
• Desired characteristics of a mentee
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Essential & Qualities of Mentoring Relationships
• Trust• Self esteem• Partnership building
• Time
• respect
• Balance• Truth• Generosity
• Passion
• courage
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Six Step Mentoring Process
• Evaluate characteristics• Identify mentoree
• Establish guidelines• Perform roles• Evaluate relationship• End relationship
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Three Types of Mentoring
• Traditional mentoring
• Planned mentoring
• Self-mentoring
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Barriers to Effective Mentoring
• Management support• Time• Assessing & selecting mentors and
mentorees• Monitoring and measuring success• Avoiding favoritism
• Mentoring versus open competition for promotion
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Benefits of Mentoring
• Faster orientation and enculturation• Knowledge transfer• Strengthened relationships and culture
• Increased loyalty and retention• Succession planning• Faster development of new leaders• Higher overall capability of workforce
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ACTIVITY: Finding a Mentor
1. Determine a professional need you have2. Create a list of potential mentors3. Select a few possible mentors who might be right for
you4. Create a Mentoring Action Plan
– Select a particular learning need or goal that you have– Identify one key result or outcome that would have the
most impact on your effectiveness– What resources or people do you have access to that
could help you in this development area– What level of skill do you need in this area (e.g., familiarity,
certification, ability to train others
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Mentoring as Professional Development
• Some basic assumptions
• The purpose for mentoring
• The mentor’s role and tasks
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Mentoring as Professional Development
• Selection of mentors– Exclusive
– Inclusive
• Matching mentors and mentorees
• Expectations for mentors and mentorees
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Mentoring as Professional Development
• Training
• The support for mentoring
• The context for mentoring
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Mentoring and Leadership
“Leadership and mentorship appear to be closely aligned, as relationships, rather than structures, become more valued with work settings.”
Ann Darwin
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Mentoring is More than Teaching
“Mentoring involves going above and beyond. It is a relationship in which a person with greater experience, expertise, and wisdom counsels, teaches, guides, and helps another person to develop both personally and professionally.”
Gordon Shea
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Mentoring: Succession Planning
A strategy for minimizing the impact
of departures
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What Happens When People Leave?
What is the• Impact on work group?
• Impact on division/department?
• Impact on the organization as a whole?
• Impact on…YOU?
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Why Isn’t Succession Planning More Common?
• Time consuming• Important, but not urgent
• No immediate results• Resistance from managers and directors
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Why Succession Planning Should be a Common Practice
• Leaders/potential leaders want to work for quality organizations
• Limited talent pool• Provides an opportunity to identify potential
leaders and groom them for advancement• Helps the organization prepare for the future
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Action Steps to Succession Planning
• Identify the desired leadership skills and attributes of successors
• Identify potential leaders• Share vision with each employee• Assess each individuals’ goals
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Action Steps, continued
• Identify gaps in skills• Assign growth tasks and training
• Mentor to so that they’re ready to ascend into leadership
• Don’t let those who are not interested in advancement hold you back
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ACTIVITY: Succession PlanningSmall Group Discussion
1. Think about a position you aspire to2. Think about a member of your staff who might aspire to
your position• What professional core competencies are essential for
your job or the job you aspire to?• Who on your staff or in your organization currently has
them?• What strategies can you think of that would help you
help a member of your staff develop those competencies?.
• What strategy can you take to develop competencies for the position you aspire to?
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The Value of Mentoring
• An important part of succession planning• Builds long-term, organizational loyalty• Customized “on the job” development
• Inexpensive – primarily “soft costs”• Flexible: formal or informal• A good mentor-mentee relationship can be
beneficial throughout a career
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Final Thoughts….
• People quit people before they quit organizations– What are you doing to inspire your brightest
and best to stay with you?– How much do you know about your
employees, their goals and aspirations?
– What are you doing to help them achieve their dreams?