Communication Series: Mentoring as a Training Strategy

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn"      Benjamin Franklyn

In a recent comment on this blog, a colleague shared his thoughts on the complexity of mentoring.

" I find your description of Mentoring useful. I plan to use it in proposals and statement of works to help customers understand the deliverable. Often training is called for, but the audience is only one or two deep, so point training followed by mentoring is called for. Or sometimes mentoring is remdedial to plug gaps in productivity capability. Setting/defining "learning objectives" for mentoring is a challenge."

Utilizing mentoring as a purposeful training strategy can be both cost efficient and extremely effective.  Mentoring - by virtue of it's name - suggests an ongoing relationship with a learner.  No one would probably argue that the mentoring relationship is critical to it's effectiveness and the probablility that you will meet the desired outcome.  However, once we identify the content expert (mentor) and create an introduction/relationship with the learner (mentee) - we often put them together with only the hope that there will be knowledge transfer and understanding.  This situation promises to support one of the newest business mantras... Hope is not a strategy.

 

Creating a structure or framework for mentoring as a trainng strategy is critical.  As you are creating this learning opportunity I would urge you to consider the following:

 

1. Choosing the best Mentor:  Just because someone is an area expert or is an excellent salesperson/engineer/developer/chef doesn't mean he/she can be a mentor.  The qualities of a mentor are the same as most teachers: patient, understands the components of the whole, able to evaluate the learner etc.  Choosing the best mentor for the training is critical.
2. Clearly identifying the learning objectives:  As a result of the mentoring engagement, what will the mentee be able to know/do/apply?  The fewer opportunities to be engaged with each other - the less aggressive the objectives should be. 
3. Purposefully outlining and creating the Mentoring Engagement: As eluded to in the comment above, there may be need for 'spot training' followed by mentoring activites.  I would suggest the following outline as a minimum:

1. Do a Needs Assessment:  What does the learner already know?  What is his/her foundational understanding?  This can be done in a conversation, observing activities or in a more formal assessment format.
2. Identify specific 'Training' Opportunities:  What training is required...where is there a lack of knowledge/information?  Will the mentor train or will that be outsourced?  Will the mentor and mentee attend training together?
3. Clearly define the activities and expectations with the  Mentor: How will the mentor interact with the mentee?  Are there scheduled weekly appointments?  Will there be both in-person and virtual opportunities?  Can the mentee contact the mentor on demand or are there set criteria?  Will the mentee accompany the mentor on customer calls, implementation visits, other...and what will be the format of that interaction? 
4. Identify a clear timeline for the mentee to complete the Mentorship engagement:  A mentoring training engagement should have a beginning and an end.  How much time should it take for the mentee to achieve the learning objectives?
5. Create a performance type evaluation: We may learn and be able to talk to new knowlege, information or practices - but the test comes when the learner is required to 'apply' what was learned.  How will the learner's behavior or actions be different as a result of the training?  What will look different in his/her performance.

Taking even just a few minutes to consider these thoughts as you organize and schedule mentoring opportunities in your organization will increase the odds that your learner will walk away from this training opportunity with new skills and tools to apply in the future.

What I like most about using mentoring as a training strategy is the level of engagement of the learner.  In my research I found this quote:

"...  the most effective way to develop people is quite different from conventional skills training, which let's face it many employees regard quite negatively. They'll do it of course, but they won't enjoy it much because it's about work, not about themselves as people. The most effective way to develop people is instead to enable learning and personal development, with all that this implies." Business Balls

 
Effective learning opportunities that enable learning and allow for personal development often sit outside of the conventional skills trainig... I would highly recommend using 'purposeful & planned' mentoring as a training strategy in your business.