Need More Mentoring

Written support packs and workshops were utilized to prepare mentors and mentees for the scheme. The support packs covered topics such as the skills needed for mentoring, the ethos of mentoring and information on its benefits, whilst the workshops were more practical in nature, addressing the following aspects ... 

When asked if there is a need to increase the representation of African Americans in chemistry, especially in the context of the supply and demand debate, 98% of the interviewees answered affirmatively. Most interviewees cited the following reasons (1) untapped talent pool (2) need for the acquisition of technical skills to be competitive in the twenty-first century workforce (3) highly respected field (4) future leaders for a global economy (5) need for a critical mass to serve as more diversity and (6) need for mentors and role models. Illustrative comments are presented below. 

I am struck by the lack of progress we are making in how women are perceived or evaluated in their jobs—whether the evaluation is in terms of our research, our effectiveness as department heads, our leadership roles, or our efforts as mentors or champions. We are still searching for how best to be a leader, how best to be a mentor, how best to be a champion, and how to take on these roles. There are so few women in leadership roles that we don t have enough examples of effective leadership among women in the chemical sciences to know who are the appropriate role models. We need more women as leaders, not only as role models, but also as champions and advocates for other women coming up the line. 

The competence of the mentors, as college teachers, is invariably strongest in one or another of the traditional disciplines, and instruction of students has generally been through courses in one discipline without explicit reference to another. Yet the need for global change instruction is for help in understanding a multidisciplinary set of problems. Some appear to lie mainly in the natural sciences while others deal more with humanity, but all should be studied in a broad framework that embraces both science and humanities. How to achieve... 

Decide on your development needs. For example, these could he strengthening working relationships with other team members, seeking ways to add value and revenue from current clients, listening more than talking. Discuss your Individual Development Plan with your mentor. 

It increases motivation mentoring can make individuals feel more motivated if it satisfies one of their needs. For example. 

In sum, the mentor s business savvy is more important for some and less important for other relationships. The extent and nature of business acumen needed for successful mentoring should be decided on the basis of the mentee s needs. 

Is mentoring the best method for addressing this need, or would other (existing) training and development approaches be more suitable ... 

Once the implementation team is in place, recruitment should first focus on the selection of mentees before turning to the selection of mentors. The reason for this lies in the fact that mentoring is set up to benefit mentees (employees with certain learning requirements). In order for mentors to develop these employees, their needs must be ascertained first, and then mentors matched to them. Let us now consider mentor and mentee recruitment in more detail, starting with the mentee. 

Patronizing behaviour - even if a mentor has had more experience and acquired more knowledge than a mentee, there is no need to be patronizing or condescending. This will only serve to reinforce any potential insecurities that mentees might harbour, rather than help them build their self-confidence. In extreme cases, such behaviour might even lead to the premature break up of the relationship. 

In addition, we strongly advise you to get outside evaluation help. An outside source which specializes in mentoring evaluation and which guarantees confidentiality will ensure that your participants share more detailed and candid information. You and the team can strategize with the evaluators on data needed, items to be asked, procedures, and what you want the report(s) to cover. 

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