As the Leadership Network is growing and we receive more questions and enquiries, we hope that this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page will be helpful to anyone considering getting a mentor, or becoming a mentor. If you have a question that is not answered below, please email Kate.Sharpe@nhs.net
Q. How can I be assured that the mentor will be impartial? If it is someone from within my own organisation, there may be a conflict of interests.
A. Meeting a mentor through the network is mentee led. The mentee chooses and approaches the mentor, and can choose someone in a completely different Trust, or area of work. It is also extremely important at the first meeting to make sure that you ask these questions - however difficult this may seem at the time.
Q. Am I assured of confidentiality?
A. On your first meeting, you are advised to make a "contract" with your mentor as described in the guidelines. Make sure that complete confidentiality is assured within this contract - both ways remember!
Q. What happens if I don't get the support of my Line Manager?
A. Mentoring is a recognised component of personal development . A personal development plan (PDP) should be agreed between you and your line manager every year after appraisal. It is your plan to identify what training and skills you need in order to be able to achieve your agreed objectives. If you consider meeting a mentor to be a part of your personal development, make sure that this is clearly agreed in your PDP. The time taken for the meetings can be recorded in your training record, and should be considered to be "within working time", but the outcomes and activities within the meetings are entirely confidential between the mentor and mentee and should not be disclosed to the line manager unless by mutual consent.
Q. Do I have to take the first mentor offered?
A. Absolutely not. The matching process is only intended as a guide. It is often a good idea to browse through the details of a number of people on the database to make your own comparisons. If you cannot find anyone suitable, you can contact TIN and ask for some further help.
Q. If I contact a mentor and it doesn't feel right after the first meeting am I still committed to go through with it?
A. No. Both the Mentor and the Mentee need to agree that they are happy to continue, and there are no "hard feelings" if the chemistry just isn't there! You can also withdraw at any time during the "contract" if things do not feel right. It is advisable, however, either to confront the problem within the confidentiality of the contract before leaving, or you may miss an opportunity to discover why things went wrong.
Q. What happens if things go wrong and I want to report that the relationship is not being respected?
A. You can get in touch with Kate Sharpe who acts as the "guardian" of the network. Your confidentially will be respected.
Q. What if my colleagues find out that I am being mentored? Is there a stigma attached to mentoring?
A. Asking for a mentor is a sign of strength and a commitment to continue to learn. Developmental mentoring is a way of building on what is good and making the best use of the resouces available to you. Remember that you choose a mentor because you want some company during this part of your journey and you are in charge. You will teach your mentor as much as you will learn yourself.
Q. Where should a mentoring meeting take place?
A. You must make sure that your meetings take place on "neutral territory". Although a mentoring relationship is in many ways a personal one, it is not appropriate to arrange the meeting as a social event. Don't arrange to meet in either party's home, and don't arrange to meet in either party's office. Try to find a place which is neither too private nor too public. You could arrange to book a designated meeting room or perhaps meet for the first time for a coffee in a public place (e.g. at one of the big hotels).
