Mentoring relationships are more successful and have more impact when it has a certain amount of structure.
A four-step structure to follow during the pre, beginning, middle, and end of your partnership looks like this:
- Planning for mentoring and finding a mentor
- Initiation Phase Meetings: building the relationship and developing the Mentoring Agreement
- Mid-Phase Meetings: development goals and continued success
- Ending the Formal Relationship: closure and evaluation
These phases’ best occur over a six to 12-month time period. The amount of time for each phase will vary depending on your needs and personal style of both mentor and mentee. Throughout the mid-phase meetings, make certain that progress analysis and progress checks are completed.