Staff Mentoring Program

Staff Mentoring Program 

The CoJMC staff mentoring program aims to facilitate staff professional development in the college. The staff mentoring program will help CoJMC staff members develop new skills and knowledge while growing in their careers. All staff are encouraged to participate in the mentoring program, but participation is voluntary. Participation will benefit the college, mentors and mentees.

Benefits to the College:

• Enhancing strategic initiatives
• Encourages retention and reduces turnover
• Improves productivity
• Elevates knowledge transfer
• Creates informal networks
• Enhances advocacy for college priorities

Benefits to Mentors:

• Enhanced insight from the mentee that can aid the mentor’s professional development
• Satisfaction from sharing expertise with others
• Gaining an ally in promoting the university’s well-being
• More knowledge about the mentees area of the university

Benefits to the Mentees:

• Access to expertise
• Feedback in key areas of professional development
• Sharper focus on professional growth
• Learning specific skills and knowledge
• Larger network

Program Description:

Each staff member will have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor annually for monthly meetings and an annual social gathering of all staff and mentors. The staff will work with their mentor to identify a personal professional goal(s), develop an action plan to attain that goal and then make progress on the plan.

Identifying Mentors: Each year the CoJMC staff will be asked to provide input on the type of mentor they would like to pursue. Mentors can be other staff members or faculty members in the college, other staff on campus or individuals external to UNL who could support the mentee's development. Managers will then work with staff members to identify and engage a mentor.

Establishing a relationship: During their first meeting mentors and mentees will get to know one another, develop an understanding of their relationship, discuss what they hope to gain from the relationship and establish shared boundaries and an understanding of confidentiality.

Establishing a goal: During the next 1-2 meetings, mentors and mentees will discuss the mentees' professional goals and identify a professional development goal the mentee can work on during the year. Professional goals should be specific to the interests of the individual and could include, but are not limited to, gaining technical, professional or leadership skills, gaining knowledge about their field, college or university operations, growing their network, or building connections within the higher education community. (Examples)

Building a plan: In meetings 4-5 the mentee will develop a plan to achieve their goal. The plan should include the specific steps necessary to achieve the goal along with a timeline for taking the steps. The mentor will provide feedback and guidance on the plan. Plans should be achievable and take into consideration the mentee's time constraints. Once the plan is confirmed with their mentor, the mentee will provide a copy of their plan to their manager.

Implementing the plan: For the remaining meetings (6-12), the mentee will report on their progress. The mentor will provide the mentee with accountability through their monthly meetings, feedback on their progress and guidance on how to best implement or adjust their plan based on changing circumstances.

Concluding the relationship: At the end of the year, the mentors and mentees will gather to celebrate and share their successes at an event arranged by the college.

College Support

Managers will work with their staff members to identify and engage a mentor. The manager is responsible for securing the mentor's participation in the program. The college will also cover the cost of a monthly lunch or coffee between the mentor and mentee. The college will also organize and host an annual gathering of the mentors and the mentees.

Expectations of mentors

Mentors are expected to attend monthly meetings with their mentees, provide input and guidance on the development of professional goals and action plans through considered and candid feedback. They serve as a sounding board and are expected to maintain confidentiality in their conversations with the mentee.

Expectations of mentees

Mentees are expected to schedule and attend monthly meetings with their mentors. They should be prepared during meetings to report progress on goal development, action plan development and action plan implementation as appropriate. Mentees are expected to be open to feedback and accountable for their progress.

Timeline

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