Mentoring is associated with powerful benefits for mentors, mentees, and their organizations.

In a survey by the Association of Talent Development, of nearly 1,000 talent development professionals, organizations with formal mentoring programs reported 50% higher employee engagement and retention. And a wealth of research points to the clear value in formal mentoring beyond performance including a boost to morale, motivation, and learning.

But there are challenges associated with mentoring. Good mentoring doesn’t magically happen when you pair people together. And in a hybrid workplace, where we have fewer opportunities to work side-by-side and learn through observation, solid mentoring support is more important than ever before.

Organizations can ensure they have key success factors in place using a model we have designed to create a rich and productive experience for both mentors and mentees.

The ACE Mentoring Framework helps mentors and mentees:

  • Align on goals and shared expectations
  • Connect with one another
  • Evolve and make progress on meaningful goals

The ACE Mentoring Framework is a unique and structured approach, designed to help both mentors and mentees thrive in their roles and achieve excellence in their mentoring partnership.

Let’s take a close look at each of the components in this practical framework.

Align

At the start of any mentoring partnership, I encourage mentees and mentors to establish clear and compelling goals – the kind that engage and motivate both of you.

It is the responsibility of the mentee to craft their goals, but mentors can help ensure these goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. In other words, you know exactly what you are trying to achieve and when.

“Grow my network” is a somewhat vague and uninspiring goal. Rephrased as a SMARTplus goal, it becomes: “Connect with two contacts in the healthcare industry each week, so I can bring in new business.”

I also suggest you add a “so I can” statement to capture your why. Working with purpose to achieve meaningful goals give us the stamina to persist despite the inevitable challenges that test our commitment.

Meaningful goals are the difference between “I have to” and “I get to.” There is a big difference between “I have to work on this goal” and “I get to work on this goal.” This simple yet powerful mindset shift brings more ease and joy into challenging roles.

In addition to aligning on goals, I encourage both mentors and mentees to reflect on the who, what, and when of this important relationship. Who is responsible for what? What will you work on together? When are you meeting?

Without clear expectations, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration. One of you may feel the other should be doing more. Or you may lose valuable time waiting for the other person to take the lead.

Workday Warrior pro tip: Protect time for mentoring.
We can’t make time, but we can protect time.
Try pre-booking your mentoring meetings. You can always shift these meetings when needed.

Connect

The second component in this framework highlights the power of connection.

Sometimes you get lucky, and you simply hit it off with your mentee or mentor. But if not, you may have to be a little more proactive. I encourage you to go into this mentoring relationship with intentionality, as opposed to a casual “Let’s see how it goes” approach. The latter is justifiable for busy people. But being intentional helps you build a stronger and more productive working relationship.

Before you meet, learn what you can about your mentee/mentor. Check out their bio. Connect with them on LinkedIn and see if you have any shared connections or shared interests. Think about what you admire about them based on what you already know. Equipping yourself with this information shows demonstrates interest and will accelerate your ability to connect.

During your mentoring discussions, be curious. Go beyond obvious similarities and dig deeper to find common ground. Try building on the fact that you both live in the same city or belong to the same practice group or department. You might be surprised to learn you share the same passion for cooking and other commonalities once you start scratching the surface.

Granted, you want to take some cues from them about how comfortable they are with sharing. But over time, curiosity will help you build your connection.

It is also worth noting that your mentoring relationship can still be incredibly beneficially, even if your connection doesn’t come as easily as is does with your best friend. Be open to possibilities and resist an all-or-nothing mentality. Simply making an effort to connect can go a long way. Often, it’s our differences that present us with opportunities to grow. We all learn more from people who expose us to new ideas and experiences.

“Employees who have mentors earn more money, are better socialized into the organization and are more productive. They experience less stress and get promoted more rapidly.”

~ Terri Scandura, Professor, University of Miami graduate school ~

A mentoring relationship, like any other, requires an investment and takes time to develop. But ultimately, you get out of it what you put in, so it is worth taking time to build your connections.

Evolve

Once you’ve aligned on your SMARTplus goals and established a connection, you can dig into the essence of mentoring, which is to support your mentee’s career development and help them evolve.

Accountability is incredibly helpful to all of us, especially considering how easy it is to feel pulled in multiple directions. I like to say nothing drives productivity like a deadline and your mentoring meetings can serve as highly effective deadlines.

You make a big impact by holding your mentee accountable to take the steps needed to achieve their goals. Simply knowing you’ll be asking for an update at your next meeting can serve as great motivation to work on their goals.

Whether you’re a mentor, a mentee, or are looking to establish a mentoring program within your organization, the practical ACE mentoring framework will help you make the most of this valuable development opportunity.

 In our Mentoring for Excellence program, we share micro-learning videos and templates you and your mentor can use to set clear and compelling goals, as well as sample meeting agendas, and discussion prompts. Contact us to learn more.