Five Steps to Growing Your Mentoring Relationship
There are many advantages and disadvantages to asking your boss to be your mentor. First of all, your boss may not be able to offer you valuable advice on your career choice. Secondly, your boss might not be willing to push you for a promotion or raise, which may be detrimental to your long-term growth. Finally, it is not advisable to ask a random stranger for a mentor. Instead, it is recommended that you seek the help of a person you know and trust.
Social exchange theory
If you are new to the concept of Partners In Mentoring, you may wonder if social exchange theory and mentoring are incompatible. Both are based on the same underlying assumptions about human nature. Humans are social creatures who seek to exchange value for benefits. When considering an exchange, the theory suggests that an individual will make a decision based on a set of goals. Ultimately, a person will seek the most rewarding outcomes from an exchange, so he or she will seek to maximize their own benefit.
One example is the facilitating of workplace mentoring programs by federal employees. This type of mentoring should foster relationships among employees, which is essential for effective interpersonal relationships. The key to successful workplace mentoring is to build informal relationships between mentors and protégés. In this manner, the theory will guide the process of creating these informal relationships between employees. The author argues that the transition from formal mentoring to informal mentoring is a shift in organizational culture and theoretical context.
Characteristics of formal mentoring programs
Formal mentoring programs have several key characteristics that make them more effective than informal ones. Most of these programs ask both mentors and mentees to identify important matching criteria. Mentors who are able to match personalities well are more likely to initiate successful mentorships. Such criteria may include geographic location, human interest factors, personality values, and learning orientation. In a formal mentoring program, participants are encouraged to communicate openly and honestly with one another.
The goal of a formal mentoring program is to create a supportive, long-term, personal relationship between a mentor and mentee. These programs hope to build a professional network through personal support and feedback, and to promote self-reflection. Mentoring relationships are meant to be personal, early in a mentee’s career, and frequent and lasting. However, mentoring programs can have different objectives, and some might not achieve their desired results.
Norms and effective sanctions
Social norms are established and enforced in groups or communities. Two common types are descriptive and injunctive norms. Descriptive norms describe typical behavior and are related to social and moral values. Injunctive norms are the exact opposite of descriptive norms, but have the same effect: they impose moral obligations and regulate behavior. As a result, sanctions are important mechanisms for promoting moral behavior and preventing interpersonal conflict.
Norms and effective sanctions for mentoring programs should be based on empirical research. Specifically, best-practice interventions should consider community reactions. This will allow practitioners to identify and mitigate any problems related to negative reactions. Further, SBC interventions should involve exploratory research aimed at developing a deeper understanding of how norms affect the practices of interest. To ensure a high quality intervention, the research conducted should include extensive interviews and focus groups with the target population.
The cultivation stage
The cultivation stage of mentoring entails frequent interaction, which builds the foundation for mutual development. Over time, the mentoring relationship grows and matures, and the two people become a well-assembled team. Roles are clearly defined and resources are provided to support both mentee and mentor. Ultimately, the mentoring relationship is sustainable for two to five years. Here are five steps to help your mentoring relationship thrive:
The initiation phase is relatively short, but first impressions have long-lasting effects. Showing up on time and communicating well are two important ways to establish a good impression during the initiation stage. It is a good idea to take the lead during first meetings, but gradually build trust by slowly developing a rapport. The cultivation stage of mentoring is discussed further in the next section of this article. If you would like to learn more about the next phases of mentoring, read on!