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Let’s examine how to improve
an existing program. Let’s start with some assumptions.
- It needs improving. At the risk of stating the
obvious, if your mentoring program is working well and people
are satisfied, don’t make radical changes beyond expanding
it.
- The target audiences (potential mentees, mentors,
stakeholders) want an improved effort and are willing
to participate.
- You’ve pilot tested your processes and materials
and know, at least in general, what works and what doesn’t.
- You and your group have the energy, time, and financial
backing to take on this important task. (Remember, improving
existing programs can be as hard or harder than starting
a new program from scratch.)
Assuming the above are true, here are some suggestions:
- Get more data. Sit down by yourself and list your
own objective and subjective reactions to what’s
occurred up to now. What helped mentees the most? What was
fun for you and others? What was constantly difficult and
unproductive? Ask others in your planning group to do the
same, and compare notes.
Interview numerous people. Even if you have existing
evaluation data, take the time to personally contact representatives
of all the “stakeholder” groups (e.g., past and future
mentors, past and future mentees, policymakers). Even
talk to some of the naysayers who complained about the
old program and are pessimistic about any revisions. Check
with other mentoring program planners and implementers
to see what’s working well for them.
- Compile a summary of your findings. What has to
be different this time? Whittle down the ideas into your
new program design. Draw this out in a flow chart,
get reactions, and improve it.
- Improve (or purchase better) mentoring resource materials.
At the very least, your program participants should have
access to self-study materials plus guides or booklets to
use during their training. If you’ve limped by with photocopies
of photocopies up to now, consider preparing or acquiring
higher quality materials. (They’ll make a statement about
your program’s quality.) Put together some “best practices”
used by mentors and mentees in your former program and in
other programs.
- Do more with the mentees this time. Be certain
they’re ready to take a very active role in their development
and in their mentoring relationships. Provide training for
them. Have them nominate the mentors they want, choose specific
skills on which to work, and write tentative development
plans. Teach them how to motivate and reinforce their potential
mentors. Encourage them to organize events for themselves
such as brown-bag luncheons with speakers from the mentor
pool.
- Tighten up your training. Formalized programs clearly
benefit from rigorous training for mentors and mentees and
from at least a briefing for mentees’ managers (or other
leaders). In the training, emphasize mentoring concepts
and skills. Don’t let people off the hook.
If they have to miss your training event, have a back-up
session for them supplemented with self-study materials
and coaching by yourself or another skilled person.
- This time, make a commitment to solid, meaningful evaluation.
Figure out how you’ll decide (a year from now) if your program
has really made a difference: in people’s skills and knowledge,
career progress, satisfaction, promotions, retention, productivity,
or whatever else is important to your audiences.
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