Did you know CGIUKI runs a free mentoring scheme for CGIUKI members and students? This is a fantastic member benefit and one which could not operate without CGIUKI members who volunteer to become mentors, generously providing their time and expertise to support others. In my last blog I focused on the benefits of the CGIUKI mentoring scheme for mentees.
In this blog I will focus on being a mentor, what is involved, what support is available and the benefits for the volunteers. The scheme is currently available to UK-based members only, but if you are based in Ireland please get in touch so we can assess demand for the scheme there.
Why become a mentor?
Mentors have told us that being a mentor enhances their CV, develops skills they can apply in their day jobs and provides an opportunity to give back. But the most common motivation is the opportunity to support fellow governance professionals.
John Davies, Governance Director at Beyond Governance, who has been mentoring since the scheme pilot in 2016 said he volunteers because he ‘enjoys being able to help people develop. I have had some great managers who helped me but not everyone has that.’
Femi Sobo-Allen, Deputy Company Secretary at Frasers Group plc volunteered because ‘I often needed help in my career and where would I have been if no one had volunteered for that?’ Anne-Marie Palmer who now has her own consultancy, Red Bridge Advisory, wanted to ‘… offer the opportunity to those in the governance profession to talk to someone that they were not working with. These are different conversations to those of a line manager.’
Being a mentor is rewarding but the benefits do not only flow one way. Femi said that ‘There are often issues I have that we end up discussing and finding a solution for.’ Graham Lawrence, who is a governance consultant and has been mentoring since 2017, has ‘developed people skills that have helped me as a manager and a leader.’
What is involved?
We know that all governance professionals are busy, so once mentors are matched with a mentee the commitment is tightly defined. Each mentee is entitled to up to six one-hour sessions, usually over a six to 12 month period. However, some mentors are happy to mentor more than one mentee at a time and many ask for a new mentee once their previous mentee has moved on. Mentors and mentees can meet face to face if they work or live close together, but most mentoring sessions take place online.
All mentors attend a free one-day virtual training course before they begin mentoring. This is to ensure consistent quality and to ensure that mentors understand how the CGIUKI scheme works. Combining my expertise as a Fellow of CGI and an International Coaching Federation accredited coach, I tailor the training to ensure that mentors are well prepared to mentor their first governance professional.
While many people believe that mentoring is about giving advice, during the training I focus on the power of allowing mentees to work things through for themselves and encourage mentors to give advice only in specific circumstances. The role of the mentor is to ask challenging questions and listen intently to the replies. This helps the mentees to reflect and explore issues, dilemmas and the consequences of potential actions for themselves. Giving mentees advice can actually prevent the learning process so the training focusses on developing the questioning and listening skills required to provide the best environment for mentees to develop.
This may sound more like coaching than mentoring to anyone who has experience of this, but in the context of a membership body I believe this is appropriate. Mentors are from outside the mentees organisation so are independent, they have no investment in a particular outcome and can be objective. But this means that they may not be best placed to give advice, though of course they might be able to point mentees towards helpful resources or share their own experiences if this is helpful.
The feedback from the training is positive and mentors state that they learn skills during the training that can be applied elsewhere in their working life.
John learned ‘the importance of active listening and that he is not there to “fix” everything for people.’
Anne-Marie learned that ‘it is a two-way relationship. While one may have more experience, both are responsible for how successful the process of mentoring can be.’
Graham said, ‘The training made clear that mentors should support mentees to develop their own solutions to challenges, only offering advice when it is absolutely necessary. I have seen the benefit of this with mentees growing through working out solutions.’ He said he has been able to apply these skills ‘when managing people in my work as a governance professional.’
How are mentors and mentees matched?
I match mentors and mentees based on the information mentors provide regarding their skills and experience and on what the mentees tell me they are looking for. It is important that mentees and mentors have a good rapport, so if that is missing I will find a new match.
What support is available for mentors?
Once mentors have completed their training they continue to have access to ongoing support. I am available to chat through any challenges, but I also facilitate a regular mentor cafe. This informal online session, usually at the end of the working day, gives mentors the opportunity to discuss anything mentor related and share knowledge, ideas and experiences. It is a relaxed peer-learning session, but I attend as a facilitator so can provide some pointers if mentors are experiencing challenges or have questions.
I also run refresher training where I revisit some of the core content, but also introduce some new ideas to build on the knowledge mentors already have to help them develop their skills further.
Femi knows she can get support with her mentoring if she needs it from the institute and Annie-Marie thinks ‘the opportunity to engage with other mentors is a great initiative.’
Current mentors would recommend it
All the mentors I spoke to for this blog said they would recommend becoming a mentor and stressed the importance of the role. Annie Marie said, ‘the profession can only grow and improve if there is sharing of information, advice and assistance.’ Graham said, ‘working as a mentor is hugely rewarding, gives back to the profession and develops valuable skills.’ John pointed out that ‘younger people working from home are missing out as they don’t get the chance to talk to more experienced people in the office anymore.’ Femi said, ‘Not only does it bring on the new generation of company secretaries, it is a great opportunity to share best practice – we’re never too old to learn new things.’
Want to become a mentor?
If you would be interested in using your experience as a governance professional to assist others to develop, please get in touch. We will contact you when the next mentor training day is arranged. Once you have attended the training you will be added to the list of mentors and matched with a mentee as soon as the right match comes along.
Written by Lesley Ward FCG.
