Brambles

Reach back & Reverse

Mentoring

A
Fast Track
&
GDP
Joint Partnership
Introduction

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction

Introduction
Mentors
You provide new insights, a listening ear, and an expert
resource to your mentee. You help your mentee review his 1
or her aspirations, development challenges and career
journey.

Your showing a keen interest in their development is itself

hugely valuable. But your own history and encouragement
also has real value. Listening, questioning and opening up
your mentee’s thinking are key skills.

The balance of dialogue should be something like 70:30 in

the favour of your mentee. If you do most of the talking,
something isn’t right!

This guide offers some concrete suggestions for how to

maximize the value of your mentoring sessions.

Mentees
You have been provided with one of the great keys to
success: a mentor. Mentoring offers an amazing
opportunity to explore new insight, shaping your thinking
around professional development while learning from
their experiences.

The aim of this toolkit is to maximize this hugely valuable

resource and time that has been given you.

Each mentoring session will be more valuable if you have

prepared an agenda, giving thought to what you want to
get out of it. Your mentor is a valuable resource: it’s up to
you to get the most out of your time with him or her!

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction
Stages of
Mentoring
and Timings
1
Most mentoring partnerships go through the following stages and
included in this guide are written materials and guidelines for use at
each stage. Suggested timings for these stages are included in the
table below and a checklist for each stage and space to capture your
notes are included in this guide.

Stage Time Frame

Understanding Before you start
Mentoring
Building Rapport First two or three
meetings
Setting Direction and Middle – most of the
Making Progress partnership
Capturing Successes and Final two or three
Moving Forward meetings

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Stage 1:
Understanding
Mentoring and
Your Role

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction
What is
Mentoring?
• A relationship – Built on trust.
• A two-way learning partnership – Both mentor
and mentee share a common purpose and responsibility in
developing this.

• Involves personal and professional growth –

For both mentee and mentor. 1
• Confidential – Mentor offers a safe environment for
mentee to explore and discuss challenges.

• Off line – A mentor is not required to evaluate current

work performance.

• A positive developmental activity.

Good Mentoring
• Ultimately will be tied to mentee’s development and may include the mentee’s manager
• Should include a mentor who is outside of mentee’s performance review process
• Builds relationship, preferences, and understanding up front
• Encompasses both formal and informal processes for balancing guidance and creativity
• Allows mentee to set agenda and drive both plan and projects
(It’s the mentee’s career so own it and drive the results you desire.)
• Promotes total confidentiality within the scope of employment law
• Provides both mentor and mentee with hour for hour learning credit for the duration of their
mentoring agreement
• Typically involves one mentor/mentee session every 6-8 weeks

Mentorship learning offerings are available on the

! Brambles LearnOn Site. Go to the Home Page and
search, “Fostering Mentoring Relationships”.
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 Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction
The Role of
Reach Back &
Reverse
Mentoring…
1
Mentoring involves responding to both mentor and mentee needs in a way that enables them to find their own
solutions. However, both parties are also likely to offer the following insights/experiences as valuable resources in the
following areas.

• Organizational experience –
• Reach Back - Understanding of the culture of the organization, its values, processes, politics and strategies
required to negotiate them.
• Reverse - Impressions of the organization from an outside observer’s perspective, learning from the
Graduate’s selection/onboarding experience how we can best position ourselves as an Employer of Choice.

• Knowledge of people and our organizational network –

• Reach Back - Experience of working with people in general, perhaps understanding of specific people with
whom the mentee is interacting and the importance of relationship building in our work environment.
• Reverse - Sharing knowledge around the best ways to attract and retain the next generation workforce.
Knowledge around how to connect in meaningful ways with next Gen employees using their preferred
vehicles of communication.

• Knowledge of career options –

• Reach Back - Understanding career paths options within the organization and how these may evolve in the
future. Reflections around key Fast Track learnings that would be beneficial to your Graduate.
• Reverse - Sharing this generation’s perspective regarding traditional career trajectories and how to retain
talent longer-term in an ever evolving world.

• Technical expertise
• Reach Back - – Job-related expertise – this can be technological or leadership capabilities which the
mentee may find useful in his/her current or future roles.
• Reverse - Sharing their perspective around emerging technologies utilized by them and their peers to
learn. Sharing how the latest technologies may be leveraged in business to release operational value.

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction
Establishing
Responsibilities in
the Mentor
Partnership
Mentees
• Drive the relationship 1
• Are open to new ideas and activities
• Show initiative
MENTEES:
• Keep confidences
• Stick to commitments ! Remember, you have
to let your mentors
• Draft each meeting’s agenda know HOW they can
help you.
• Take responsibility for the partnership
• Be a good listener

Mentors
• Be available to meet at least every 6-8 weeks
• Stick to commitments
• Keep confidences
MENTORS:
•
•
Help the mentee see varying points of view
Provide advice and guidance ! Remember to always
model strong, flexible
• Share experiences leadership ability.
• Provide exposure to various contacts and
departments
• Be a good listener
• Mine conversations for insights into next
generation thinking
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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Introduction
Some Tips for
Ensuring
Success
• The mentee should always prepare a detailed agenda
that is shared with the mentor at least one day before
the meeting. 1
• The agenda should include full sentences on
expectations for each agenda item.
• The agenda should include an “Other” category and a
“Parking Lot” for ideas that are raised that need Remember that
separate meetings.

• Both mentor and mentee should agree never to

! feedback is best
when it is TAB:
cancel a session without immediately scheduling a - Timely
timely replacement meeting.
- Actionable
• Face-to-face meetings are ideal; however, different
locations or time zones may necessitate the use of - Balanced
Skype video conferencing instead, with Audio
conferences as a last resort.

Current “Types” of Mentoring

Leadership To assist employees develop leadership skills, moving from an individual
contributor or manager into an expert leadership position.

Management To assist current or new managers build team and employee skills

Graduate Program To assist our graduates in the rotational program through Year 1 of their
two-year process.

Business Acumen To assist building technical skills and knowledge about the business, in
any area from departmental work, to local work, to global activities.

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

Checklist for
Understanding
Mentoring
Mentee
• Are you clear what mentoring is and what it isn’t?
• Do you understand your role as a mentee?
• Has your manager been involved?
• Have you thought about what you would like to
get from mentoring? What specific experiences
would you like to hear about? What style of
support works best for you? Capture these to take
to your first session.

Mentor
• Are you clear what mentoring is and what it isn’t?
• Do you understand your role as a mentor?
• Have you worked with your mentee’s manager?
• Have you thought about what you can give to the
mentoring partnership? Which experiences in your
career have been the most influential? What is
your natural style of coaching? Capture these to
take to your first session.

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Notes

11
Stage 2:
Building Rapport

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

The First
Session
Suggested timing – 90 minutes.

The most crucial element in predicting the success of the 1

mentoring partnership is the quality of the relationship itself.
Part of the ‘Building Rapport’ stage is to agree some ground
rules but in your first session try to avoid going straight into
action and prioritise getting to know each other. Exploring the
specific goals you want to cover will happen in the next
session. Some suggested questions to explore together are
included here.

Learning about each other (45 minutes)

What are each others career histories? What has been your
experience so far on the Fast Track/GDP Program? What
other development is the mentee enrolled in?

Exploring the mentoring partnership

(30 minutes)
What are your experiences of mentoring so far? What
worked what didn’t?

Do either of you have any concerns about mentoring?

What are we hoping to learn from each other? What
styles work best for each other?

Agreeing some ground rules (15 minutes)

How often are we able to meet? What are the limits of
our confidentiality?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Checklist
for Building
Rapport
Mentee
• Have you spent time getting to know each other?
• Have you discussed the particular areas of interest
to learn about from the mentor?
Remember to inform
• Have you agreed how often you are to meet? Have
you scheduled in your first couple of sessions?
! each other of any
planned business
travel or pending
holidays.
Mentor
• Have you spent time getting to know each other?
• Have you discussed the particular areas of interest
to learn about from the mentee
• Have you agreed how often you should meet?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Notes

15
Stage 3:
Setting Direction and
Making Progress

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

The Planning
Session
Suggested timings and structure –
90 minutes.

Setting up the direction and focus of your time with your mentor/
mentee is vitally important. The output of this session should be a 1
clear agreement of the priorities for development over the course
of the programme and how the mentor can support.

Mentees:
! Remember to send your mentor a copy of your proposed Agenda before any
session

Summary of mentees strengths and areas for development?

(20 minutes)
The mentee should lead the mentor through a summary of where they see their key strengths
but also their areas of development that they wish to focus on during the mentoring
partnership – identifying clear priorities.

Exploring the draft plan together (45 minutes)

The mentor and mentee should explore the plan together with the mentor constructively
challenging. What is the mentees aim/definition of success? What actions are they going to take to
work towards this definition? What support do they need from their mentor/other sources? How
will the mentee engage others in their development (line manager)?

Agreeing goals and areas of support (25 minutes)

What are the tangible goals and milestones through the year? What can the mentor do to help
this? What will be the focus of your next session together? When, where, and how will you meet?
How do these meetings correspond with your development milestones?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Checklist
for Setting
Direction
Mentee
• Are you clear on your goals during the partnership?
• Have you identified how your mentor can support
you in achieving these?
• Have you agreed how you engage your manager and
others in your development?
• Have you set up your next few goals and sessions
with your mentor?

Mentor
• Do you understand your mentee’s priorities and
areas of focus?
• Are you clear on how you are going to support the
mentee through the partnership and on the
agreed milestones?
• How is the thinking of this generation different
from former generations in the workplace? How
are you alike?
• Have you ensured the coaching sessions are given
priority in your calendar?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Making Progress

Timing Flexible
After you have 1) understood the purpose of Reach back & Reverse 1
mentoring and 2) agreed your goals, you are now ready to start making
progress. This stage in the mentoring partnership is likely to be the
most productive and is a period of sustained activity in which the
partnership is regularly reviewed and adapted.

There is no one process or structure that will apply universally – the

following generic structure is intended as a guide.

Prior to meeting
Mentee and mentor to review notes from previous sessions
and recap the area of focus for the proposed session.
Mentee should prepare and send an agenda on what they
would like to achieve before each meeting.

In session
Agree what the mentee would find useful from your time
together. What are the required outputs from your time
together? What are the mentee’s challenges? What options
do you both have to address these challenges? How can the
mentor’s experiences support with this? What will the
mentee do to put these into practice? How will mentor and
mentee know whether it has worked?

End of session
When will you meet again and what will be your area of
focus?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5

Helping a Stuck Mentee

Timing flexible
There maybe times during the mentoring partnership where the mentee feels ‘stuck’ and unable to
articulate a way forward. Below is a simple model that can help support the mentee to reframe
challenges. This model encourages the mentee to look at their challenge from different perspectives
(looking to the bigger picture, looking at the more detailed picture, considering the consequences
and considering past experiences). We’ve included some suggested questions below. In addition,
revisiting the definition of success in the development plan may help to refocus the mentee.

Up/ Bigger picture Forward/ Consequence

How does this compare with other….. What are the potential negative impacts of…

How will this contribute to…..

What would be the impact of…
How does this fit into…..
How would you deal with…
How will this affect your stakeholders?
What are you expecting to happen?
How will this be viewed by….
And how would you feel?
And what will that do for you?
What’s the best/ worst thing that could happen?
What support will you get from….
How would you deal with that?
How sustainable is this in the longer term?
What would be the outcome if you…
How is this aligned to….
How would that affect you?
How will this fit into the overall objectives?
What could you do about that?
What is the ultimate goal?
How would that make you feel?
What’s the context for this?
What are the positive impacts of…

Down/ Assumptions Back/ History

What are your grounds for believing….
What makes you think that?
What’s the basis of your belief?
What makes you say/ feel/ think that?
What’s your evidence?
If you do….what do you think will happen?
What makes you think that?
If I put it this way…
am I summing this up correctly?
And is this what you mean?
How sure are you that this will work?
And what’s the basis for your certainty?
What do others think?
How do you know?
What experience have you got of….
How have you/ others dealt with….
What has worked for you in the past?
What approach have you used before?
What parallels can you draw?
Have you had problems like this before?
How did you deal with this?
What did you learn?
What helped you the most?
What hindered you?
When can you recall a time of success?
How did it make you feel?
What have you not tried that you’ve tried before?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Checklist – To
be Reviewed
Continually

Mentee
• Are you going into session with a clear idea of what
you would like to focus on?

• Have any additional obstacles arisen that are stopping

your focus on your development? Have you discussed
with your mentor and identified help if appropriate?

• Have you shared feedback with your mentor? What

about their style works for you? What is less effective? Remember to

Mentor
! celebrate all
successes, and share
major milestones with
• Do you know what your mentee wants to focus on your Line Manager
in your session? Have you considered which of
and Lynne Rutherford
your experiences will be most valuable to share
with your mentee in relation to this?

• Have you shared your perspective on your

mentees progress? What could be holding them
back?

• Have you encouraged your mentee to provide

your feedback about your style?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Notes

10
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Stage 4:
Capturing Success
and Moving Forward

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

The Final
Session
Suggested timing – 90 minutes

Your final session should be a time of celebration and 1

reflection of the year you have shared together. In this
session it is important to review the progress you have
made together and also to agree how the mentee will
move forward without the mentor’s
formal, continuous support (thought the mentor can
always be an informal resource for the mentee).

It may be useful to return to the mentee’s original

development plan and identify on-going priorities/ new
development challenges that have arisen through the
course of the year.

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Checklist

Mentee
• Have you captured all the successes and lessons
learned from your mentoring partnership?

• Have you discussed achievements, next steps, and

opportunities with your mentor and manager?

• Do you have a plan to exemplify your new skill in your

job or through special projects, so you can gain a
reputation for your experience?

• Have you discussed continued, informal interaction

with your mentor?

• Have you updated your resume/CV?

Mentor
• Have you shared feedback on how this experience
will help your mentee’s career and personal
growth?

• Have you discussed how to communicate the

mentee’s growth to the mentee’s manager and
other vital contacts within the organization

• Have you encouraged your mentee to provide

continued feedback about your style?

• Have you discussed continued, informal

interaction with your mentee?

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Introduction Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

Notes

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