The rise in the number of Fortune 500 companies that have engaged in a mentoring program is evidence of its success. With a 14% growth in two years, more Fortune 500 companies are eager to invest in their workforce through mentoring.
For that to happen, organisations need to have the right mentoring tools to run a successful program. But what specific tools do administrators need to have for the program to run? In this article, we’ll guide you through the mentoring tools and techniques you need to kickstart a mentoring program in your organisation.
What Mentoring Tools Do You Need?
Before launching a mentoring program, it's important to know that mentoring should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all process. The program administrator needs to periodically make adjustments to ensure that mentoring relationships are working. At the same time, evaluation needs to be done in the middle of the program instead of at the end.
By having the right mentoring tools, program administrators can make their jobs a lot easier. This works for large organisations as it allows administrators to work with multiple employees.
A must-have mentoring tool is Brancher, the only mentoring platform that matches candidates via personality and values. With our platform, administrators get the assistance of these mentoring tools:
#1: Matching Form
The first step to starting a mentoring program is to gather information on those who are interested in . Participating in mentoring. Thankfully, our matching form simplifies the process with 26 easy questions. With this matching form, administrators no longer need to come up with the questions they need to ask.
Upon sign-up, participants will be taken to a page where they can populate a form with their answers. Some of the questions on this form may include:
- What top three skills are you confident and capable of helping a mentee build?
- Which of the following best describes your mentoring style?
- What is genuinely important to you?
- A person’s behavioural preferences and style
Their answers are then collected for the administrator to use when matching mentors with mentees.
#2: Mentor-Mentee Matching
Program administrators often find matching participants to be time-consuming. Not to mention, pairing participants manually can result in unconscious bias and guesswork. Although administrators and users can make manual matches, they also have an option for the mentoring software to do its magic.
Participants can be paired through our mentor-mentee matching software, thanks to the matching form they accomplished upon sign-up. This mentoring tool helps save the time of administrators by up to 82%. The matching software takes out the guesswork and uses science to match potential mentors and mentees within the organisation. As a result, organisations have received a matching satisfaction average of 90%.
#3: Mentoring Agreement
The Mentoring Agreement is another powerful mentoring tool needed in the program. Through this document, the program administrator, mentor, and mentee can all be on the same page.
Before a mentoring engagement starts, it’s important to accomplish the Mentoring Agreement to set the right tone. This document ensures that the needs and wants of both mentor and mentee are aligned. At the same time, it formalises the goals, expectations, and boundaries of every mentoring relationship.
#4: Training and Resources
As the mentoring relationship begins, mentors and mentees can use the available resources to guide them through the first few sessions. You’ll find these resources available at Brancher:
- Conversation Starters
- Ice Breakers for Group Mentoring
- Myths, tips and tricks for Group Mentoring
- Mentoring pair concerns
- Mentoring Guide
- Mentor vs Mentee responsibilities
- Tips for your first meeting
- SMART Goals Cheat Sheet
- Kolb’s Reflection model
- Coaching GROWTH Framework
- Situational Mentorship Guide
- Effective Feedback
- Ending a relationship
The best mentoring software will also provide training for mentors and mentees, often incorporating many of these quick-read resources. If prepared correctly, this training will allow your participants to be better prepared, and feel more supported.
These mentoring tools and templates have been developed to help make the mentoring journey a breeze and to encourage a successful exchange of ideas between paired employees.
#5: Calendar Integration
Scheduling meetings has never been easier thanks to technology. Users can easily set up a meeting with our integrations with Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. They have the option to use their preferred meeting provider without having to use different tools.
The integration also gives administrators access to how often mentors and mentees meet and whether they are following through with their schedules. Using this information, administrators can gauge whether a paired match is working well together or if it’s time to step in and re-assign the two to other candidates.
#6: Comprehensive Reporting
An often overlooked part of successful programs is comprehensive reporting. Through this dashboard, administrators have access to the meeting frequency of paired participants, meeting satisfaction rates, pair activity, the number of available/un-matched participants and much more.
This dashboard helps administrators keep track of the mentoring program to evaluate how to proceed with future pairs. The primary goal of surfacing this data is to allow program managers to be more proactive; heading off issues and delving into pais in need of support.
What is the Best Mentoring Tool?
The best tool for mentoring is one that you don’t have to worry about. The right mentoring software should offer these tools to make the administrator have an easy time keeping track of the mentoring program.
Take a look at our admin portal so you can see how our tools for mentoring can support your organisation’s mentoring program. Book a demo with us today to see Brancher’s mentoring platform in action.