LearnaBytes

Last week I wrote about a Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz Ortiz book I read titled, One Minute Mentoring. I believe the aim of this book by the authors is to describe mentoring in an easy to understand way. One of the ways they do that is through the MENTOR model they present in the book. The MENTOR model is an acronym for:

• Mission
• Engagement
• Network
• Trust
• Opportunity
• Review and Renewal 

Following is a brief description of each component of the model:

Mission

It is essential as a first step to create a mission and purpose for the mentoring relationship. The mentor and mentee should be clear about what they want to achieve through the mentoring relationship.

Engagement

Both parties, the mentor and mentee should agree and be clear about how they will engage in a way that works for their personalities and schedules. This will cover areas such as whether they will engage through face-to-face sessions or virtually and how much written comminication will be involved.

Networking

The mentor and mentee should expand their network through getting connections from each other if such opportunities arise. Networking is a two-way street and both the mentor or mentee may have networks that can broaden the connection of the other party. It is essential though to tread carefully on the network contacts a mentoring partner has provided. They should be dealt with respectfully.

Trust

Build and maintain trust with your mentoring partner by telling the truth, staying connected and being dependable.

Opportunity

Both mentee and mentor can create opportunities for each other to grow. Since a mentoring relationship is a two-way street, both partners can bring opportunities to the table. They can exchange knowledge and development ideas.

Review and Renewal

Schedule a regular time to review progress and renew the mentoring relationship. Make sure the review periods are scheduled in advance and they take place. At these reviews both parties should check whether the mission has been achieved or at least they are working towards it.

One way to use this model in organisations is to train both potential mentors and mentees on it. This can be a good framework to use for staff interested in getting into management and new managers who may need mentors.