MENTORING FOR LIFE
Helping organisations equip their mentors to bring out the best in their mentees
The most effective way to help a person actualise his/her potential is through mentoring.
Definition: Mentoring is a relational process for personal development where a more experienced person serves as a guide for a less experienced person.
The primary strength of mentoring is that it is personal. Each person is a unique mix of strengths and weaknesses and has a unique life journey. Mentoring is not “mass production.” It takes seriously the unique life of the person being mentored. Therefore mentoring has to be relational. Personal guidance takes place in the context of a caring relationship where the mentor is committed to the mentee and his/her growth. It seeks to help the mentee take responsibility for his/her own growth.
Mentor training shouldn’t be overly theoretical and complicated. It should focus on the people involved, namely the mentor and the mentee(s). That is the focus of the Mentoring for Life training.
Basic Programme
The basic programme has three main components: Engage, Evaluate, and End well.
Engage — Introduction to the practice of mentoring – what it is, why it is important, and what is involved. In this component the mentor learns about:
- The power of mentoring
- The process of mentoring
- The goal of mentoring
- The fundamental skills needed to mentor
Evaluate — Mid-course review that includes:
a. A dialogue with the mentees to find out what is working and what can be improved.
b. Feedback to the mentors based on the dialogue session with the mentees. The best learning happens experientially. Mentor and mentee should embark on the journey first and a mid-course review provides a key learning experience based on what is actually happening in the mentoring journey. In this component, the mentor learns about:
- What is working in the mentoring and should be continued.
- What is not helpful in the mentoring and may have to be tweaked going forward.
- The mentee’s feelings about the mentoring experience and what help he/she needs going forward.
- What help the mentors may need as they continue to mentor.
End well — Clear closure. Mentor and mentee(s) look back on the programme to celebrate what worked and what can be improved for future rounds. It is important that the mentoring journey has a clear closure. It gives a sense of completeness to the mentoring journey. In this component the mentor in conversation with the mentee(s):
- Celebrate the good moments in the mentoring journey.
- Acknowledge what could have been done better and how things can be improved going forward.
- Acknowledge that though the formal mentoring journey is over, mentor and mentee(s) are still friends.
- Invite the mentees to consider ways they can pass forward what they learnt from their mentoring experience.
A Few Key Mentoring Skills
Some of the mentoring skills that will be covered:
1. Active listening
a. The power and purpose of listening
b. Asking the right questions
c. The importance of empathy
2. Creating a safe place for the mentee to share
a. The commitment to confidentiality
b. Appropriate affirmation
c. Being non-judgemental
3. Sharing perspectives and insights
a. Sharing stories that may help the mentee grasp a point
b. Providing knowledge that the mentor needs
c. Sharing tentatively
4. Acting on behalf of the mentee
a. Give feedback on the mentee’s needs to the right people
b. Open doors for the mentee’s development
c. Speak up for the mentee in the event of disciplinary issues
5. Focusing on the mentee's growth
a. Work together with the mentee to identify the areas the mentee wants to grow in
b. Keep those areas in mind in the mentoring journey
c. Remember — you are there for the mentee not vice versa
The actual programme will be crafted in consultation with the particular organization.
Costs
a. Cost of the basic programme: S$ 6,500
(Approx. 16 hours)
This is based on hours/events and not per pax.
b. Consultations to support/coach mentors will be billed differently at S$300 per hour.
12 months at a maximum of 6 hours each: S$21,600
Option to tailor consultation hours/months for your organisation’s needs is available at S$300 per hour regardless of group size.
Main Facilitator
Dr Tan Soo Inn
BDS, DMin
Soo Inn has been involved in both the practice of mentoring and in the training of mentors for the last 35 years. His doctoral work was in the area of helping young people discover their calling. He believes that when people have a clearer idea of their purpose they will be more committed in their own growth.
Organisations we have worked with
We are committed to seeing lives flourish and grow through life-on-life mentoring, where life is transmitted from mentors to mentees through intentional relationships.
Things like openness and kindness will never go out of style. No matter how corporate culture changes, we will always need open, kind and attentive mentors if we want our teams to be successful. — Staci Parks