There are several reasons why formal mentoring programmes don’t succeed.
Lis Merrick explains how you can avoid the common pitfalls
Why do mentoring programmes fail? Here are my top nine problems to watch out for when designing and running a programme.
- Poor planning
Ensure the programme is linked to the organisation’s strategic HR or L&D objectives. Don’t set up a programme just because it’s a ‘good thing to do’. Emergent, organic, informal programmes are always a mess, miss most of the potential benefits and do not create engagement. You must plan carefully to achieve robust formal mentoring.
- Poor selection of mentors
I shudder inside when I’m told someone will make a good mentor, with no thought given to why. Or when the whole senior management team is press ganged into being mentors, some with two or three mentees. Stop and think about selection. What’s your programme trying to achieve for mentees and who’s best positioned to support it? Concentrate on engaging those volunteering to be mentors and don’t expect everyone to put themselves forward.
- Inadequate training
Mentors and mentees must prepare when taking part in a formal programme, even if they have considerable experience. Understanding programme objectives, outcomes and processes is key and with mentoring novices a comprehensive briefing is required, so they understand what mentoring is about and the skills they need.
- Low clarity of role
All stakeholders in the programme need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities. Not only the mentors and mentees, but also line managers, mentoring co-ordinators, HR, L&D, senior leaders and mentoring champions. Transparency avoids confusion.
- Too little time
If any of the stakeholders are overloaded, the programme will not gain the enthusiasm it deserves. This is why you should give only one mentee to one mentor, don’t make the mentoring onerous (meetings every four to six weeks) and take care of the mentoring co-ordinator so they are not doing this work on top of their day job.
- Too much formality
Don’t expect your mentors and mentees to do endless form filling or reporting back; this will kill good mentoring and the programme. Make evaluation part of the natural sequence of events and don’t interfere in the relationships.
- Failure to set and measure outcomes
How on earth will you know what you achieve without objectives? Set out desired outcomes at the start; it should be part of setting the objectives of the programme. Develop your recruitment and marketing materials and training/briefings around what you wish to achieve.
- Overloading people
Don’t give mentors or programme co-ordinators too much to do or it will spoil the programme. Often people are so enthusiastic about mentoring they sign up for more than they can deliver, but this can lead to burnout and demotivation over time.
- Lack of support
If mentors and mentees don’t have a confidential place to go to when they are stuck or have an issue, it will create blockages in your programme and relationships that cease to function. Support needs to be designed from day one and supervision should be an integral part of it.
Avoid these nine pitfalls and your programme will operate really effectively.
- Next issue: How to design mentoring for interns
- Lis Merrick is a consultant specialising in mentoring programme design and development. She welcomes correspondence on anything to do with mentoring. Contact: Lismerrick@coachmentoring.co.uk