MENTORING IN THE MOMENT
by Mary Blitzer Field
It used to be that mentors and mentees could set aside their work for regularly scheduled mentoring meetings. But given the time demands that most of us face, scheduling such "extracurricular" time has become tough - or just plain impossible. Today's mentors need to take advantage of everyday work situations as opportunities to mentor.
Mentoring in the Moment addresses this modern trend by providing a framework that mentors can use to identify and respond to mentoring opportunities. This 20-item instrument describes mentoring as a journey with specific phases that unfold over time, each requiring a different type of mentoring behavior. The art of mentoring "in the moment" lies in accurately gauging where mentees are in their developmental journey, and then altering your responses accordingly.
Mentees progress through a sequence of 4 developmental phases:
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I - Identification: Idealizing the mentor and asking for guidance.
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II - Growth: Sensing strengths and experimenting with behaviors.
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III - Separation: Wanting an independent identity.
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IV - Mutuality: Seeking and sharing experiences as an equal.
Mentors will:
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Understand the four phases of the mentoring journey.
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Measure their effectiveness as a mentor in each of the four phases.
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Discover three types of mentoring responses.
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Learn how to recognize and respond to a mentee's specific developmental signals.