Developing, Implementing, and Assessing Mentoring Programs

Mentoring Programs: Best

Practices and a Case Study

Kate Kane

November 29, 2012

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Agenda

• Discuss the critical components of a successful mentoring

program

– Review what research reveals as best practices

– Have attendees share their insights

• Review a case study example from M&T Bank

– Mentoring program developed over two years ago

– Focus on high performing Vice Presidents

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Why Mentoring?

Mentees report:

Increased job satisfaction

Increased organizational commitment/retention

Improvements in career growth options

More promotions/better compensation

Mentors report:

Satisfaction from developing others

New/expanded perspectives

Greater familiarity with talent

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What’s Needed for a Successful Mentoring

Program?

Evaluate the programEvaluate the program

Implement the programImplement the program

Design the programDesign the program

Identify mentees and mentorsIdentify mentees and mentors

Identify program goals and gain senior manager support

Identify program goals and gain senior manager support

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Define Program Goals and Gain Support

• What organizational outcome(s) are you trying to

address?

– Knowledge transfer

– Engagement

– Productivity

– Diversity in talent pool

– Retention

– Succession planning

• Does the organization’s culture lend itself to mentoring?

• Which senior managers will you need support from and

how will you gain that support?

• What’s your budget?

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Identify Mentees and Mentors

• What population of mentees are you looking to serve and

in what way(s)?

• What does an ideal mentee look like?

– Willing to learn, open to feedback

– Interested in further career growth at the organization

– Willing to drive the partnership

– Maintain confidentiality

• What does an ideal mentor look like?

– Outside of mentee’s reporting hierarchy

– Accomplished role model

– Eager to help develop others

– Effective listening, feedback, and coaching skills

– Able to make a time commitment

– Maintain confidentiality

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Design the Program

• How long will the program last?

• Who’s responsible for designing, implementing, and

assessing the program?

– Mentoring program manager

– Steering committee

• How will you evaluate the program?

– Interview and/or survey mentors, mentees, and mentees’

managers before, during, and after the program

• How will you pair mentors and mentees?

– Use of a survey to assess preferences, needs

– Allow mentors and mentees to meet one another prior to making

selections

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Design the Program

• What content do you need?

– Training for mentors and mentees (roles, expectations, best

practices)

– Networking time for mentors and mentees

– Industry/organizational presentations

– Senior management guest speakers

• How will you deliver the content?

– In-person meetings (program kick-off and at least the first

mentor-mentee meeting)

– Videoconferencing

– Webex sessions

– Company intranet/file sharing medium (e.g. SharePoint)

– Mentoring program software (e.g. Insala)

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Design the Program

• What pre-program communications are needed?

– Identify potential mentees and mentors

– Educate mentees’ (and possibly mentors’) managers about the

program

– Invite mentees and mentors to participate

• What logistics need to be addressed?

– Facility rental

– Travel arrangements (e.g. hotel, transportation)

– Meals/snacks

– Materials (e.g. nametags, agendas, binders)

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Implement the Program

• What do participants need prior to program kick-off?

– Event details, agenda

– Completion of any pre-work

• What support do you need the day of?

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Evaluate the Program

• What should you measure?

– Base questions on the goals of the program

– Level 1: Reaction

• Did you like the event, venue, food, facilitators?

– Level 2: Learning

• Did you learn more about the organization?

• Did you meet people you didn’t know before?

– Level 3: Behavior/Application

• Are you more engaged?

• Are you more productive?

– Level 4: Results

• Are mentees more likely to stay with the organization?

• Are mentees getting promoted more quickly?

• Are mentees more successful?

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Evaluate the Program

• How do you measure?

– Interview/survey mentees, mentors, and mentees’ managers

before, during, and after the program

– Compare mentees’ retention and promotion rates to those of a

control group

• What happens with the results?

– Use to make changes to the program

– Use to make decisions about future participants

– Share with senior managers

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M&T’s Senior Leadership Development

Program (SLDP) Mentoring Program

• Alumni from a senior leadership development program

started the mentoring program

• Goals included increasing employee engagement,

productivity, and retention

• Senior manager support obtained easily

– SLDP alumni driven

– Comfort level with mentoring (M&T culture and some research)

• Key program features

– 10-month mentoring partnership

– Opportunities to network

– Ability to learn about the bank’s divisions, culture, strategy, and

initiatives

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SLDP Mentoring Program: Identifying

Mentees and Mentors

• Mentors:

– SLDP alumni (50)

– Senior managers with tenure of 15 to 20 years

– Voluntary participation

• Mentees:

– Vice Presidents (50 out of 2700)

– High-potentials identified through divisional talent review

meetings

– Representation from all geographies and divisions

– Voluntary participation

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SLDP Mentoring Program: Design the Program

• Two-step process for pairing mentees and mentors

– Speed mentoring

• Surveyed mentees prior to program kick-off to determine what they

were looking for in a mentor, which specific mentors they’d like to

meet at the program kick-off

• Used 75-minute session to enable mentees to meet with seven

different mentors

– Mentor selection

• Surveyed mentees after the program kick-off to identify their top

seven mentor choices

• Surveyed the mentors to determine their preferences

• Program manager makes pairings to accommodate as many

preferences as possible (mentee preferences took priority)

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• September: Two-day program kick-off event with all

mentors and mentees

– Division/initiative updates from senior managers

– Training for mentors and mentees

– Speed mentoring

– Dinner the first night and lunch the second day

• October through May: Mentee-mentor interactions

– One on one meetings

– Shadow day(s)

• June: Two-day program wrap-up event with all mentors

and mentees

– Division/initiative updates from senior managers

– Dinner the first night and lunch the second day

– Next steps discussion for mentors and mentees

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• Mentoring Program Manager

– Member of HR

– Facilitate mentee training session

– Pair mentors and mentees

– Available as confidential resource for both mentors and mentees

– Facilitate “next step” conversation at wrap-up meeting

• Steering Committee

– Five SLDP alumni, one administrative person

– Design and facilitate the kick-off and wrap-up meetings (e.g.

create the agenda, invite speakers)

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• Pre-program communications

– Emailed managers of potential mentees

– Emailed mentees an invitation to participate

– Creation of a “bio book” that included mentors and mentees

• Corporate title, functional title

• Division, department

• State, city

• Tenure at M&T

• M&T work history

• Interests, activities, fun facts

• Headshot

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SLDP Mentoring Program: Implement the

Program

• Program kick-off meeting in Buffalo, NY (Hotel @

Lafayette)

• Program wrap-up meeting in Baltimore, MD (TBD)

• Use of internal Travel Department

• Magnetic nametags – name, department, location, and

special flag indicating “mentor” or “mentee”

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SLDP Mentoring Program: Evaluate the

Program

• Program costs (100 participants)

– $25,000 for each two-day meeting (facility rental, hotel rooms,

lunch, cocktail dinner, and materials)

– $15,000 for each two-day meeting for attendees’ travel costs

(flights, trains, cabs, airport parking, travel meals)

– 40 hours of work for Program Manager

– 20 hours of work per Steering Committee member

• Results

– Surveyed mentees, mentees’ managers, and mentors at the

conclusion of each in-person meeting and at the end of the

program

– Tracking mentees in order to evaluate retention and career

progression/promotions

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Program – Mentee Results

96%

broadened their network

80% met a person that can

act as an advocate

64% are more efficient because they know more

people to contact

64%

learned more about divisions, projects,

culture, and strategy

48% are more effective because they know how

to operate within the culture

44% identified career path(s) they want to pursue at the

bank

52%

are more engaged and more willing to stay with the bank

60%

have a new/ enhanced skill

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Program – Mentees’ Managers Observations of

Mentees69%

are more effective because they know how to operate in

alignment with the culture and strategy

69%

Have a new/enhanced skill

62%

are more efficient because they know

more people to contact for assistance

46%

identified career path(s) they want to pursue at the bank

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Program – Mentor Results

100%

have the satisfaction of knowing they helped develop

someone

68%

broadened their network

58% identified a person(s) they

can recommend for

current/future job opportunities

42% are more efficient because they know more

people to contact

47%

developed new perspectives

37%

are more engaged

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References

• Designing Workplace Mentoring Programs: An Evidence

Based Approach by Tammy Allen, Lisa Finklestein, and

Mark Poteet (March 2009)

• The Blackwell Handbook of Mentoring: A Multiple

Perspectives Approach by Tammy Allen and Lillian Eby

(May 2010)

• “The link between career plateauing and mentoring”, a

thesis by Elizabeth Lentz (April 2004)

Education

Developing, Implementing, and Assessing Mentoring Programs