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Mentoring @ Duke -- Mentor/Mentee Tools

Mentor-Mentee Knowledge Quiz

Directions: Answer the following questions about mentor-mentee relationships and the mentoring process.

1. What two key things does a formal mentor do?
2. Who drives and owns the mentoring partnership?
3. What are two benefits of mentoring to mentors?
4. What are two benefits to mentees?
5. What are two benefits to the organization?
6. What seems to be the minimum mentor-mentee contact time that makes a positive difference in the mentee?
7. What's one way to fail as a mentor? (Mentors only)
8. What's one way to fail as a mentee? (Mentees only)
9. Who decides the involvement of the mentee's manager?
10. Name five topics to negotiate in the relationship.
11. What are three typical challenges faced in mentoring relationships?
12. Is chemistry important in a formal mentoring relationship?
13. What is one thing mentoring is not?
14. How many years older should the mentor be?
15. What are two things to do to build the relationship?
16. What are two advantages of ending the formal aspect of a mentoring relationship?
17. What are two steps to take in closing a formal relationship?
18. Name the four Core Mentoring Skills.
19. Name three of the five Mentor-Specific Skills. (Mentors only)
20. Name three of the five Mentee-Specific Skills. (Mentees only)
21. Name two best practices for Listening Actively?
22. What are two best practices for Building Trust in a partnership?
23. What is a Personal Vision and how can it be used in mentoring?
24. What are three types of objectives on which a mentee can work?
25. What are two Encouraging best practices?
26. How many times should you give positive reinforcement for every correction or criticism you give?
27. What are two Inspiring best practices? (Mentors only)
28. What are two sources of mentee skill data?
29. What's the value of a written Development Plan?
30. How could you measure progress toward a goal?
31. What are three ways mentors can know whether or not their mentees have made progress on a skill?
32. What is one Showing Initiative best practice? (Mentees only)
33. Give an example of showing too much initiative. (Mentees only)
34. What is the mentoring skill that mentees value and remember most?
35. Where can you get free continuing education on mentoring?
     

Suggested Answers for Mentor-Mentee Knowledge Quiz:

1. Helps mentee identify goal(s) and build skills to reach the goal(s)
2. The mentee (but the mentor should help him/her successfully do this)
3. Chance to reciprocate for past mentoring, opportunity to learn, satisfaction from seeing someone achieve, more loyal employee, help organization with retention, get some of own work done, recognition
4. Increased skills and knowledge, chance to observe role model, increased self-confidence, opportunities to meet others who can help
5. Increased loyalty and retention, recruiting edge
6. 1-2 hours per month
7. Say, "Call me if you need me." (Not schedule specific contact time.)
8. Not have specific objectives; not drive the relationship
9. The mentee
10. Role and expectations of each member; logistics confidentiality; role, if any, of mentee's immediate manager; how to give each other feedback; limits and preferences; help mentor will give
11. Time and energy constraints, what objectives to work on, resentment from mentees who aren't in relationships
12. It's nice to have but not necessary. What's needed is respect, the mentor's having something valuable to share with the mentee, and the mentee's willingness to learn.
13. Counseling, psychotherapy, gripe sessions
14. A trick question. The mentor can be the same age, older, or younger.
15. Get acquainted, tell career history, share information about families, interests, ask questions, tell why interested in the relationship, talk about past mentoring experiences
16. Mentee can move on to other helpers; mentor won't get burned out and can be available to help others
17. Discuss progress made; celebrate; talk about options for the relationship (e.g., end formal, continue informal, be friends, thanks and goodbye).
18. Listening Actively; Identifying Goals and Current Reality; Building Trust; Encouraging
19.  Inspiring; Instructing/Developing Capabilities; Opening Doors; Managing Risks; Providing Corrective Feedback
20. Acquiring Mentors; Learning Quickly; Showing Initiative; Following Through; Managing the Relationship
21. Paraphrase what person has said; ask appropriate questions; use appropriate eye contact/body language; take notes; turn off computer; forward phone; meet outside either office; ask about something mentioned in the past
22. Maintain confidentiality; Keep your promises; do what you say you'll do; establish credibility as someone who has good answers; don't talk about others to mentee; admit mistakes; don't seem perfect; share personal information
23. What you picture for your future 1-5 years from now: what you're like, what you're doing, what you own, who's around you, where you live, how you're thought of by others, etc.
24. Skills, knowledge, and attitudes
25. Praise/compliment person for actions and traits; Compliment person privately and publicly (if appropriate); leave encouraging voice mails and send encouraging emails; give positive behavioral feedback; give some general praises, such as "You're a great writer."
26. At least four
27. Use inspiring words, stories, metaphors, quotes; let mentee see you doing something inspiring; help mentee observe others who are inspiring; help mentee reframe past accomplishments and see how to use these strengths to accomplish new goals; use encouragement to inspire and build confidence
28. Skill assessments (e.g., 360º assessment data); observations of mentor; established competency domains; suggestions from manager; past performance reviews; mentee's own observations
29. Helps pair think through what to do in relationship and provides accountability tool to check progress
30. Subjectively judge progress throughout relationship; create a pre-post measure of progress. For example, use a 10-point scale to assess where mentee is at start and where he/she wants to be at the end of the partnership. Check progress as you go.
31. Ask mentee to analyze and report own progress; get permission from mentee to ask others in a position to observe mentee's progress; observe how mentee is or isn't demonstrating target skills in sessions with mentor
32. Discussing initiative with mentor and determining right amount; suggesting development objectives and development activities; applying what's learned in new ways; making suggestions for the partnership; asking for feedback
33. Asking to meet the mentor's personal contacts or family
34. Encouraging
35. www.mentoringgroup.com
     

**Developed by Linda Phillips-Jones, Ph.D.

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