Mentoring Programs Expertise
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Mentoring Programs Expertise

Watch "Mentoring Conversations" (Video #1) with the President of Mentoring Solutions. Dr. William A. Gray describes major insights gained since 1978 from developing over 150 different Formalized Mentoring Programs. And how mentors helped him transition from Academia to Business by transforming his thinking, attitudes and skills.

Watch "Making Mentoring Relationships Work" (Video #2) on what to DO and NOT DO. Learn about the importance of equipping proteges with what mentors know and empowering what they want to learn, do and become.


Watch "Mentorship Tips & Insights" (Video #3) on the importance of employing Mentoring Style Flexibility, maintaining confidentiality, keeping commitments, utilizing Mentoring Action Plans to achieve desired results, and lots more.



To become Mentoring Program Experts, we had to progress through the Five Stages indicated below. Over nearly 40 years, we have provided the right Mentoring Solution for each client by combining best practices from the Educational Paradigm (employing best interventions) and from the Business Paradigm (producing intended outcomes).  We do this while delivering Services and creating Products needed to develop successful Mentoring Programs that are appropriate to a wide variety of situations, participants and purposes (described elsewhere). We also do this to implement the right Coaching Solution and right Knowledge Solution.

5-Stage Model for Becoming an Expert in Developing Formalized Mentoring Programs:
Expert - highest Stage: Has at least 10 dedicated years focusing on developing distinctive/appropriate Formalized Mentoring Programs. Because experience in field is broad and deep, this Expert is aware of important variables in any new situation, and thus can quickly focus on these (and avoid irrelevant variables). Able to combine different paradigms, such as Educational emphasis on interventions and Business emphasis on getting results. Appropriately defines, designs, aligns all essential Program Components, and then delivers them to produce intended outcomes that satisfy the business case for starting the Program. Reflective practitioner who self-assesses what works/doesn’t. Discovers the Guiding Principles that others employ.

Proficient Stage: Has at least 5 years in field, with varied experiences. Follows Principles discovered by Experts, but is becoming a reflective practitioner who discovers Principles. Can plan and implement several different types of Formalized Mentoring Programs, such as: Programs for new Hires, for Career Development, for Leader Development. Cannot plan and implement atypical Programs, such as for developing Multi-level Leaders (Should A mentor B, who mentors C?  Or, implement some other strategy?)

Competent Stage: Has repeated experience doing the same thing to plan and implement one type of Formalized Mentoring Program, such as orienting new hires. Follows Guiding Principles discovered by Experts; cannot readily plan and implement variations, such as mentoring recent hires after their orientation.

Advanced Beginner: Knows about mentoring for a specific situation. Likely to implement simplistic “do-your-own-thing” Mentoring Initiatives rather than a more formal approach with structured components. Applies Guiding Principles discovered by Experts, but doesn’t know how to produce all intended outcomes.

Novice - lowest Stage: Little or no direct experience.  May have read books or articles, but has no practical understanding based on actual experience. Likely to make Announcements that encourage informal mentoring to happen, for whoever wants to do this. Unaware of Guiding Principles for planning and implementing anything more complex.

Reference:  Dreyfus, H. and Dreyfus, S. (2005). Expertise in real world contexts, Organizational Studies, 26(5), 779-792.



Click on the book cover to go to www.amazon.com where you can preview and order Dr. William A. Gray’s two eBooks – Mentoring Relationships that Work and Situational Mentoring. Click on the book cover to go to www.smashwords.com where you can preview and order Marilynne Miles Gray's eBook – Mentoring A to Z.

Mentoring Relationships that Work
Situational Mentoring
Mentoring A to Z
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