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Stages
of the Mentoring Process |
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Zachary
(2000), in her book The Mentor's Guide, suggests that the
mentoring process occurs in four predictable stages. She
identifies these as preparing, negotiating, enabling, and
coming to closure. The following section introduces these
stages of development.
Preparing
The first stage of the mentoring process is the preparing
stage. Zachary (2000) asserts that this stage of the
mentoring process is critical to the development and success
of individual mentoring relationships. This phase involves
laying the groundwork for the relationship between mentor and
mentee and focuses on preparing the mentor for his/her new
role and preparing the relationship.
Negotiating & Developing a Mentoring
Agreement
The second stage of the mentoring process is negotiating. This
is where the mentor and mentee engage in a dialogue to
determine how learning will occur through the mentoring
relationship. This stage requires that mentor and mentee
develop a partnership built on a framework anchored in the
development of specific goals, benchmarks for success, clearly
defined roles and responsibilities, assurances for
accountability, and protocols for working through pitfalls
during the process. The ultimate goal of the negotiating stage
is to develop a formal agreement between mentor and mentee
that drives the relationship forward and clearly articulates
each of these components. The mentoring agreement sets the
stage for a mutually informed and successful relationship.
Enabling
The third stage of the mentoring process is enabling. The
enabling stage of the relationship is a time centered around
facilitating growth of the mentee through support, challenge,
and vision. During this stage mentors must manage the
relationship and actively support learning, maintain the
momentum of the learning process by monitoring and evaluating
the process, and encourage continued growth and movement by
fostering reflection and assessing progress toward learning
goals.
Coming to Closure
The fourth and final stage of the mentoring process is the
closure stage. This is by far the most difficult stage of the
process for most people because of the close personal ties
that may develop from the relationship and sometimes because
of the anxiety, resentment, or surprise that may accompany a
relationship ending abruptly. Closure is an inevitable part of
every mentoring relationship because mentoring is a
goal-oriented process, which is driven by attaining certain
professional competencies. Once a new professional has
attained his/her learning goals, or in cases where a
relationship is counterproductive, it is time for the
relationship to end.
Coming to closure in your mentoring relationship may result in
many of the same feelings that you and your mentee experience
in other situations involving separation or loss. People who
have difficulty ending relationships should be aware that they
may experience similar difficulty ending a relationship with a
mentor or mentee. Regardless of your resiliency to closure,
mentors and mentees should be plan ahead and anticipate that
the relationship will eventually terminate.
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References:
Zachary,
L. J. (2000). The mentor's guide: Facilitating
effective learning relationships. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
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