Mentoring Program Guidelines

Welcome to the Mentoring Program!

We would like to warmly welcome your participation in the IIBA® St. Louis Chapter Mentoring Program. The Mentoring Program has been established to provide its members with networking opportunities that may lead to mentoring partnerships. The goals of the Mentoring Program are to promote the discussion of business analysis, organize various networking forums to build upon our common knowledge, and support individual development via professional partnerships.
 
Enclosed are several items to help you start your collaborations successfully and grow as a business analysis leader. This guideline is being provided by the Chapter to promote a common understanding among those members that participate in the Mentoring Program. This is a guideline, not a policy or procedure. Mentor and Mentee should agree at the start of a mentoring partnership which parts of this guideline that they will follow.
 
Please consider reviewing the guidelines periodically throughout the mentoring partnership. It is strongly recommended that the Mentee provide feedback forms to the IIBA Committee monthly through the mentoring partnership.   A feedback form will be sent to you via email.
 
Your feedback will be used to improve the IIBA® St. Louis Chapter Mentoring Program.
 
If at any time you have questions, comments, need support, or have concerns please contact the IIBA Committee at mentorcommittee@stlouis.iiba.org.
  

Getting Started

It is the responsibility of the Mentee to initiate contact with the Mentor after the mandatory orientation and training. This ensures the commitment of the one asking for your support and their buy-in to participate. 

Where should you meet?

We suggest you find a public location which allows you to have conversation without creating a feeling of being rushed or an expensive commitment. Wherever the two of you agree to meet is fine!
 

How long should you meet?

For every hour of meeting you can earn 1 CDU, with a maximum of 45 CDU’s that can be earned in the 3 year cycle (for the Self Directed Learning). We suggest this meeting be casual and friendly. You could benefit from some idea of what you would like to know about the other person, their goals and background. Having that intent in mind should give you the ability to schedule an appropriate amount of time.
 
What should be discussed? Developing an open and friendly relationship is critical to the success of this type of collaboration.
 
Providing an appropriate amount of your background, history, and experience will encourage your teammate to also open up. Allow them to convey their personal information as they wish; be assuring of the confidentiality of this collaboration and business information exchanged. Inquire about their goals for the collaboration and professional growth as this becomes the roadmap for the change you will develop together. You may also find benefit in discussing the type of mentoring or coaching you will engage in.
 

How should you proceed?

Having exchanged contact information; then be sure to establish an understanding on how each can contact the other and when. Jointly establish how you will continue the collaboration, when you will meet, how you will communicate (e-mail, phone, and meetings) and how long the meetings will last.
You may find there are times when one or both of you will need some preparation for the next meeting and sometimes you may be best served by a conversation.
 
This is the journey of the Mentee; it is their role to work to grow. Your most effective technique to help them grow maybe to ask questions and challenge them.
 

Mentor Suggestions

The person who you are mentoring will be given your contact information. It is up to them to initiate contact. You will be asked for regular Mentor reports on how you think the process could be improved. A Mentor report will be sent to you on a monthly basis via email.  If business or other pressures make it impossible to continue, advise the Mentoring Coordinator who will find a replacement for you.
 
Remember:
►You are there to help but it is not your journey. Do not be offended if your advice is not always followed.
►Keep the relationship light and friendly. Do not add to the pressures that the person you are mentoring may already be under.
►Provide advice and guidance only within your area of expertise. If you aren’t sure, refer the question to the Mentoring Program Manager.
►You are part of a team. If you are in doubt about anything, contact the IIBA Committee for assistance.
►Keep all discussions confidential.
►Discourage the giving of information that could be construed as company confidential
►Do not attempt to use your association to further your own business interests.
►Declare any conflict of interest before it becomes an issue.
►Proceed at a pace dictated by the person you are mentoring.
►If you feel that the relationship is not working, for whatever reason, ask to have another mentee appointed by contacting the IIBA Committee.
►Be prompt at returning calls or answering memos from the person you are mentoring.
►Always treat any contact with a stranger with care until you feel comfortable with the relationship. As in any situation, do not give out personal details beyond those that are necessary to the task at hand.
►Try to back up your advice with where you learned it from; books, life experience, seminar, a former Mentor, etc.
►Be prompt at returning calls or answering memos from the person you are mentoring.
►Celebrate success!
 

Types of Mentoring 

►Natural or Informal Mentoring
A less structured casual coaching & counseling relationship, which occurs with little or no, advanced planning.

►Formal or Planned Mentoring
Structured program in which individuals learn from each other. Expectations & limits can be stated or agreed to formally. 

►Specialty Mentoring 
Specialty mentoring utilizes mentors who specialize in one or more areas of business analysis. SMM (Subject Matter Mentor) coaches Mentee to improve their performance in areas in which they have special interest or experience for a short period to achieve a defined competency. Process is intended to be of a coach and council manner.
 

Mentor Benefits

Who is a mentor?

A Mentor is a trusted friend, counselor, or teacher. Although the primary function of the Mentor is to facilitate the Mentee’s business analysis success and professional growth through the development and execution of the Coaching Plan, Mentors/Mentee relationship offer growth, and development to the Mentor as well.

When mentoring is approached with a willingness to learn and share knowledge, all parties benefit.

Mentors have the following opportunities:
►Increase their mentoring skills which they can use in numerous personal and professional areas
►Learn new technical knowledge and skills
►Indirectly “payback” their personal mentors for help received
►Increase their professional network by developing new professional contacts
►Pass on years of experience
►Demonstrate their ability to develop capable individuals
►Gain tremendous satisfaction from contributing to the development of business analysis professional
►Gain fresh enthusiasm for their careers
►Gain exposure to new ideas, technologies, and perspectives through interaction with mentees
►Achieve enhanced reputation as a skilled Business Analyst
►Broadened perspective
►Enhanced challenges and interests
►Increased competency and confidence
►Earn CDU’s

Mentor Guidelines

What Mentoring is?

►An enabling process for skill development
►A confidence building exercise through experience sharing
►Focuses on discussing career goals
►Focuses on direction setting
►An open, trusted learning environment
 

What Mentoring is not?

►A job training or specific job shadowing
►Mentoring is not therapy. It should not be devoted to solving personal problems.
►Mentoring is not an endless time consuming activity- it should have a limited purpose.
►Spoon feeding training or teaching
►Does not provide a guarantee for job
►Does not offer placement services
►Is not a forum to vent out your emotions against your employer
►Is not a shortcut to certification

 
Do’s
 

►Schedule: Discuss the probable length of your formal Mentor/Mentee partnership.
►Meeting Logistics:  Decide when and where you will meet.
►Expectations:  Explore roles you picture for each of you. For example, do you want to be more of a sounding board than a teacher? Many mentors act the role of a “learning broker”, helping their mentees find the information and other help they need. Or do you favor a coaching role  for you? Expect your mentee to work towards achieving his/her (not your) goals.
►Confidentiality: The best mentoring relationships maintain confidentiality between mentors and mentees. Ideas, feelings and plans stay between the two of them. Talk about confidentiality, including what is and what is not acceptable to share with others.
►Feedback: Come to an agreement on how you’d like to give and receive positive and corrective feedback from each other. Always ask if you can make a suggestion or offer constructive criticism. 
►Limitations or Preferences: Discuss your learning and communication styles so you can work well together. For example, can you contact each other between your scheduled meetings? Do you prefer an e-mail or voicemail? Be    explicit about your own needs and limits (i.e. time constraints etc.)
►Relationship: Keep the relationship on a professional basis. Help your mentee take the initiative in your relationship. Be open to the mentee’s ideas, discuss topics etc. Proceed at a pace dictated by the Mentee. Provide advice and guidance only within your areas of expertise. If you feel that relationship is not working, for whatever reason, ask a mentoring coordinator to have another mentor appointed.
►Conflict of Interest: Declare any conflict of interest before it becomes an issue. 

 
Do Not’s
 

►Assume particularly if he/she is more junior, that your schedule always has top priority.
►Automatically give advice or criticism.
►Assume your advice will be followed.
►Take your mentee for granted or assume he/she doesn’t need reinforcement.
►Talk negatively about your mentee behind his/her back.
►Make your mentee have to guess or learn by trial and error.
►Force your solutions in conflicts.
►Insist on waiting for the mentee to suggest every activity and do all the leading.
►Hang onto your mentee indefinitely.
►End the relationship on bad terms.

 Disclaimer
IIBA® St. Louis Chapter provides no guarantees regarding the Mentee’s career growth prospects. The Chapter sincerely hopes that the Mentee’s career prospects will be enhanced by this network, but those outcomes are the responsibility of the Mentees and not of the Mentor and IIBA® St. Louis Chapter.

Mentor/Mentee agrees to indemnify, defend and hold IIBA St. Louis Chapter and all elected officers and volunteers harmless against any loss, damage, expense, or cost, including reasonable attorney’s
fees, arising out of any claim, demand, or suit asserting any losses or damages pursuant to participation in the IIBA St. Louis Chapter Mentoring Program including but not limited to claims involving the
infringement of any copyright, patent, trade secret, trademark, or proprietary right existing under the laws of the United States, any state or territory thereof, or any other country.