Skip will come to your work place and will collaboratively design a mentoring program that meets your unique mentoring needs. Skip will assist with articulating the business case for your mentoring program, promoting your program, implementing methods for screening and selection of mentors and protégés (learning partners), and training of mentors and learning partners in both individual and group workshops. Skip also offers follow-up advisory sessions with mentors and learning partners as required.

Benefits include:
• End-to-end assistance from initial idea and business case development to follow-on advisory sessions.
• Research-based methods founded on adult learning theory.
• A combination of individual and group sessions enable mentors and learning partners to understand their unique roles as well as their shared responsibility for success.
• Tailored design ensures your organization’s unique goals and objectives are addressed.
• A step-by-step proven process for positive change.

The workshops and training process are based on The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™, an interconnected relationship building model for mentoring, that is grounded in adult learning theory and best practices. Our model is learner-centered and asks the mentor to facilitate the development of a learning relationship, rather than simply transfer knowledge to the protégé. Protégés determine the level of participation and interest, as well as the actualization of results. This shared system of responsibility recognizes that every mentoring relationship is different and that success may be measured through diverse means. Benefits from this program include enriched career development opportunities, high-performance teaming, and the facilitation of individual growth.

In order to ensure deep reflection, focused learning, and open communications, it is recommended that (1) mentors and protégés be oriented in a collaborative workshop, (2) receive their specific training in separate workshops, and (3) form their partnership and write their contract in a joint session. The collaborative orientation is the first step in the building of this learning community. It allows all parties to (1) hear the organizational leaders share the overall goals and importance of the program to the company, (2) meet the consultants and understand the content and structure of the workshops, and (3) ask pertinent questions. The separate training workshops for mentors and protégés allow for (1) specific skills development, (2) expression of vulnerabilities with others in similar circumstances, (3) shared role-specific stories, and (4) horizontal communication in preparation for vertical collaboration. The capstone event is the joint collaborative session between mentors and protégés. It provides a facilitated opportunity for the mentoring partners to design and develop their learning partnership agreement and their specific work plan using the knowledge, skills, and confidence obtained in the training workshops.

Mentors and protégés are both accountable for a successful relationship, as well as an effective learning experience. A mentoring partnership agreement identifies goals and objectives; frequency and regularity of meetings; opportunities, challenges, and experiences that enhance the protégé’s learning; confidentiality, and the provision of open regular feedback. Other items may be included in the agreement as determined by the uniqueness of each mentoring relationship. It is the agreement and resultant work plan through which shared accountability can be measured.

Six Areas of Mentoring Competency

Competency #1 Preparation of the Imagination for an Effective Learning Relationship
Participants build a shared vision of a learner-centered mentoring relationship, review the roles and responsibilities of mentors and protégés within this paradigm, and examine the context or the circumstances, conditions, and contributing forces that will effect their mentoring experiences.

Competency #2 Communication for Effective Mentoring
Participants experience The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™ Two-Way Communications Model. This model is designed to reveal the keys to interpersonal trust-building and gap-closing communications. Participants discover communications that enable the negotiation of effective relationships, relevant knowledge to be shared, and the skills of effective facilitation and active listening. Participants assess the strengths and weaknesses of their personal communications style.

Competency #3 Developing an Attitude of Confidence, Interconnectedness, and Support
Participants use The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™ Attitude Development Model in learning how to identify assumptions, values, and beliefs that affect the mentoring relationship. Participants experience how individuals receive and process knowledge, build confidence, and motivate and inspire self and others. Participants experience the practical application of this learning to understanding how to develop commitment to the mentoring relationship and its goals.

Competency #4 Accepting the Roles and Responsibilities of Mentoring
Participants are shown how to use visioning, communication, and to support development of skills to negotiate and construct written learner-centered goals. The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™ Decision Making Model is used to guide participants through the development of a work plan. The work plan begins with the identification of the learning goals, objectives, specific tasks, resources, and target dates involved.

Competency #5 Empowering the Mentoring Effort
Participants use the skills developed in the previous competency areas and the work plan to initiate, monitor, and manage the relationship and the learning process. Participants explore ways to “kick off” their mentoring relationship and nurture its growth. Participants understand the “daily work” of providing mutual support by creating and maintaining a learning environment, challenging the learning process by setting high standards, monitoring and evaluating progress, and expanding the vision of both parties by fostering reflection and modeling new behaviors.

Competency #6 Reviewing the Mentoring Experience and Coming to Closure
Participants discuss and develop ways to deal with the challenge of terminating the mentoring relationship. Participants are shown how to plant the seeds for closure in the initial partnership agreement as well as in the learning goals. The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™ model for closure recommends that mentor and protégé initiate the process for closure at the moment the relationship begins working towards the accomplishment of learning goals.

Five-Step Competency Learning Structure:

Step 1: Two-Hour Orientation with Mentors and Protégés
Presents an overview of The C.A.R.E. Package Learning System™ and describes the benefits to both mentors and protégés of participating in the Career Development Mentoring Program. Introduces mentors and protégés to the key elements of the learner-centered mentoring paradigm. Provides an opportunity for participants to self-assess their personal readiness and skills. Describes and discusses the design and development of the learning partnership agreement. Provides an opportunity for consultants to ask pertinent questions and to answer the questions of participants.

Step 2: Four-Hour Training Session for Mentors: How to be an Effective Mentor
Presents six practical mentoring skills that teach mentors how to facilitate effective learning relationships. Mentors will learn how to: (1) envision the mentor’s role and the perspective of the protégé, (2) develop a negotiable and inspirational communication style, (3) develop an attitude of support and interconnectedness with the protégé, (4) facilitate the development of a partnership agreement and written learning goals, (5) kick-off the mentoring experience, nurture the development of the protégé, and monitor progress, and (6) plan for and come to closure. Methods of instruction include videos, case studies, role play, role-specific stories, mini-lecture, and large and small group discussion.

Step 3: Four-Hour Training Session for Protégés: How to be an Effective Protégé
Presents six practical mentoring skills that teach prospective protégés how to take charge of their mentoring experience. Protégés will discover how to determine and drive the level of participation, interest, and results of the learning partnership. Protégés will learn how to: (1) envision the protégé’s role and the perspective of the mentor, (2) develop a appreciative and invitational communication style, (3) develop an attitude of support and interconnectedness with the mentor, (4) direct the development of a partnership agreement and written learning goals, (5) enthusiastically kick-off the mentoring experience, enable the facilitation of the mentor, and monitor progress, and (6) plan for and come to closure. Methods of instruction include videos, case studies, role play, role-specific stories, mini-lecture, and large and small group discussion.

Step 4: Four-Hour Training Session for Mentors and Protégés: How to Build an Effective Mentoring Relationship
Reviews the six mentoring competencies learned in the training workshops. Mentors and protégés will design and develop the learning partnership agreement and the specific learning goals and details of the work plan. Mentors and protégés present their agreements and work plans as examples for collaborative learning. Stories are shared.

Step 5: Follow-Ups and Ongoing Communications with Consultant
Allows mentors and protégés to communicate with the consultant via telephone, email, or in person, to assist with clarification of opportunities and challenges or other matters as required by the mentoring pair. Periodically, mentors and protégés participating in the program should come together to share challenges and stories of success and to build the learning community.

How to Order:
Contact Skip at his email address: skip@bannercross.com
or call him at (206) 227-7215