Examples:
Mentoring Checklists
© 2008, Barry Sweeny
When and Why
We Use Checklists
No matter whether a protege is a new hire, new
in a department but not new to the location or the organization,
or just assuming a new role in the department they were previously
in, mentors will need to do some things right away, at the start
of the mentoring process, to help the protege learn the "lay
of the land". There are often procedures and expectations
which are new, the new relationships, even new norms and traditions
about which a protege must learn, or risk failure. Then there
are the tasks and tricks to doing a new job. Even if the protege
is being groomed for a new role and has not yet assumed it, they
still need to learn a great deal, often very quickly.
Since mentors are already very experienced persons
in a specific place, they probably already have a good sense of
what someone who is new may need to learn. So, given that, why
do we need to give mentors a checklist of what to do? Isn't
that a bit insulting?
If we just give a checklist to mentors, it could
BE very insulting, in which case the checklist may be ignored.
However, the way we write the checklist, and what
we say when we provide it to mentors can help mentors understand
why they might benefit from using the checklists.
- Access to the checklist saves the very busy
mentor precious time. The mentor may know what needs to be done,
but doesn't have to think about it a lot to decide what to do.
- The checklist is the product of many experienced
mentors knowledge of what should be the priorities. Mentors
deserve the benefit of that expertise and the embedded insights
in the checklist.
- The checklist can be adapted by a specific
mentor for a specific protege's needs and setting, BUT the mentor
doesn't have to start from scratch. They can use it and see
what works, and then refine it, or they can refine it first
and then use it. Whatever.
WHEN? When we use a check list,
we either have done an item on it or we have not. It's simple. The
items on a checklist are those things which are right to do, and
often are "one right answer" kinds of topics. They don't
involve much judgment or thinking. If the items were more complex,
a checklist would be an inadequate tool to assess it. We'd need
to use a rubric with different levels of quality on it.
Given all that, a checklist probably only makes
sense to prompt and assess if something has happened early in
a process, not later when the process is richer and more complex.
Checklist
for Before Work Starts
A SUGGESTED GUIDE FOR MENTOR ACTIVITIES
FOR BEFORE A CHANGE STARTS
- BUILDING TOUR: Site layout & location
of:
___washrooms
___lounge
___Department & Division/Branch offices
___meeting, training rooms, and technology center/lab
___supply room
___custodian
___Library
___Media center and AV equipment
___staff parking (versus executives, etc.)
___rooms for specialists and staff support people, like
HR, etc.
- TOUR OF OTHER IMPORTANT PLACES:
___the executive offices
___location of orientation activities (explain times?)
___any Resource or Research Center (and their hours and
services)
___local electronics or other needed goodies store
___good lunch spots
BUILDING PROCEDURES:
___hours for staff, building use other times
___extra duties and activities
___attendance expectations
___security - movement advice, entry/exit from building, washrooms,
lunch, I.D.s
___staff "dress code"
___fire-disaster alarms and drills
___vending, eating arrangements
___what to do in the case of accidents, emergencies
ACCESS TO RESOURCES:
___supply requisitions, budget process
___AV equipment requests
___computer access, checking out of building
___staff discretionary funds, reimbursements (and saving of
receipts)
___shared equipment and materials (with other staff)
___books, supplemental materials
THE WORK:
___the technical guides / manuals
___work flow/process and the resulting expectations for staff
___the location and roles of support staff
___management of the work "demands", and pacing
___introduction to job aids and available supplemental materials
___planning & reporting procedure, expectations
___subject matter experts on the building staff
___teams or shared responsibilities
___procedures for day-to-day record-keeping
___impending schedule-calendar details a new person may not
yet know
___the "flow" of the work day, overview of transitions,
collaboration, cross functional issues, etc.
___a plan for the first week's work (allow time for organizing)
ORGANIZING THE WORK SPACE:
___options for work space or office arrangement
and effect on effectiveness of the work
___traffic patterns
___storage and access to materials
___controlling other's access to own materials, data, equipment,
work centers
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DECISIONS AND PROCEDURES:
- ___calling in sick, and personal or professional/training
days
___expectations for sharing with and support of colleagues,
what others can do for you
___we appreciate you for who you are, relax, be your personal
best
___make some time for you, the demands of adjustment to a
new job
___What the mentor should do if (s)he ever observes the protege
doing something that is not effective, potentially harmful,
or would place the protege at-risk.
Checklist
for the First Week of Work
SUGGESTED MENTOR ACTIVITIES FOR DURING
FIRST WEEK OF WORK (OR SO)
Helpful Hint: Give your protege plenty of informal and formal
opportunities to ask for help, to tell work "stories",
and to watch you at work. The important most things the protege
needs to learn are best taught by modeling.
HOW IS IT GOING?
___don't wait, ask about concerns, new ideas,
proud moments
___share your experiences too, (we all work at these same issues)
___how can I help? I'm available at ..., let's work together
on...
___provide praise, show enthusiasm for their successes, look
for ways to help celebrate
___only provide feedback or "other options" when given
permission
___give them permission to "blow the whistle" and
call a time out when about to overload on too much info
BUILDING AND ORGANIZATION REQUIREMENTS:
___staff/department meetings, schedule
___the calendar for the year
___any undiscussed reports or procedure?
___documentation of professional development activities and
process
___employee appraisal policies, processes and forms
___contractual requirements for training or observations of
others at work
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL TOPICS:
___insurance procedures and forms
___opportunities for attendance at outside professional meetings/workshops/conferences
___importance of attending all meetings for proteges
___get the protege and a few colleagues away from the building
for a social gathering to begin friendships
___explain the mentor's work and personal (evening/morning)
schedule and availability- mind calls at home?
