Mentoring & uMentor
Kimberly Hovish & Natalia Mazzini-Cea
Organisational Development
Human Resources Division
Today’s session:
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What is Mentoring
Benefits
Coaching tools
uMentor platform
Athena SWAN applications
Setting up a mentoring scheme
Demonstration / Registration
Questions
What is mentoring?
“When a more experienced or more
knowledgeable person (the mentor)
helps to guide a less experienced or less
knowledgeable person (the mentee).”
“Mentoring involves the use of the same
models and skills of questioning, listening,
clarifying and reframing associated with
coaching.
Traditionally, however, mentoring in the
workplace has tended to describe a
relationship in which a more experienced
colleague uses his or her greater knowledge
and understanding of the work or workplace
to support the development of a more junior
or inexperienced member of staff.”
- CIPD Coaching and mentoring factsheet (2012)
What is your
mentoring style?
What mentoring is / is not
Is?
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Learning and
development
method
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Method to
achieve goals
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Sharing of
experiences
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Long–term,
ongoing
relationship
Is not?
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Correction of
behaviours or
actions
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Directive method
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Pure coaching
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Method where
all solutions are
provided by the
mentor
True / false statements
Mentors
False! drive the mentoring process.
Mentees drive the mentoring process
False!
Being a mentor would take up too much time!
Mentors decide frequency and length of meetings
in discussion with the mentee
False!
Only mentees
benefit from mentoring.
False!
Being a mentor is complicated….
uMentor has online training, matching and
resources all in one place!
Types of mentoring
One-to-one mentoring
Group mentoring
Group peer mentoring
One to one peer mentoring
Line manager mentoring
Online mentoring
Benefits
Mentors
Mentees
Departments / UCL
Benefits for mentors
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Opportunity to reflect on own practice
Enhanced job satisfaction
Develops professional relationships
Enhancing peer recognition
Using your experience, making it available to a
new person
• Widening your understanding of UCL and the
way it works
• Enables you to practice interpersonal skills
• Personal satisfaction through supporting the
development of others
Benefits for mentees
• Receiving impartial advice and
encouragement
• Developing a supportive relationship
• Assistance with problem solving
• Improved self-confidence
• Professional development
• Encourages reflection on practice
• Networking opportunities
Benefits for departments / UCL
• Enables faster induction of new staff
• Improves the University / department
community; breaks down ‘silo’ mentality
• Enhances individual performance
• Encourages commitment to the
department/organisation; improves retention
• Improves communication
• Elevated knowledge transfer (benefitting from
practical experience and wisdom instead of
just information)
“Since becoming a mentee I have found that my confidence in
my job has increased…I thoroughly recommend it to anyone
that is thinking of signing up.”
“Having a mentor has focussed my career path and identified
the areas where I need more experience.”
“Being a mentor is a great way to put something back into
UCL, whilst gaining personal and job satisfaction. I’m not only
supporting a less experienced colleague to navigate the world
of UCL, but also developing skills and knowledge myself.”
“I would say to anyone considering being a mentor, go for it!”
What skills and competencies
does a good mentor have?
What if I don’t know what my
mentee is talking about?!
•Goal
G
•Reality
R
•Options
O
•Will
W
What is your goal? (be very specific!)
What is your current reality?
What is stopping you from reaching
your goal?
What are your options?
(Brainstorm as many as possible!)
What action are you going to take?
When are you going to take it?
Goal
• What do you want to achieve?
• What do you want to be different?
• What is your current situation?
• What is happening now? What effect does that have?
Reality • What have you tried so far?
• What options do you have?
• What else could you try?
Options • What else? ….. What else? …. What else? ….
Will
• What are you going to do? When are you going to do this?
• What support will you need? How will you get it?
• How will you know you have been successful?
What is uMentor?
An online platform for UCL staff created
by Organisational Development in
Human Resources to facilitate mentoring
through providing:
• Training via a Learning Package
• Certification via Assessment
• Resources
• Matching
How can a departmental mentoring
scheme help Athena SWAN applications?
- Encourages more experienced staff to
support and guide less experienced staff
- Support women at identified key transition
points
- Ensuring women have access to informal
career support and guidance
- Senior female academics acting as role
models
How can uMentor help
Athena SWAN applications?
Facilitates the creation of a mentoring
scheme within your department by:
• Sets a consistent standard through
assessment and code of conduct
• Matching facility
• Reports provided upon request
What uMentor cannot do!
• Marketing
• Increase engagement
• Cannot be used by PhD students
(for staff only)
• Filter searches by department
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Mentors should use the bio section to
specify any restrictions/preferences
How to set up a mentoring scheme
Things to consider…
• What is the purpose of the scheme?
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And how will you measure success?
• Who is the target group?
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internal / external
academics / professional services
Early career researchers / women / BME, etc.
….Things to consider (continued)
• Marketing
• Matching
• Managing expectations
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Training
Length of relationships
• Evaluation
• Who will administrate / monitor /
evaluate?
www.ucl.ac.uk/umentor
umentor@ucl.ac.uk