ASADI

MENTOR-MENTEE SYSTEM

MENTORING CONCEPT NOTE

Mentee Record Card

2021
MENTORING: CONCEPT NOTE

1. Leadership at all Levels

Teachers of today are the classroom leaders. Those leaders are to assume the role of a mentor to
produce the leader of tomorrow. This process commences the day a student enters the portals of
the University and continues well beyond the graduation day. Students of 18-22 age group are
likely to be undergoing both biological and psychological charges. It needs to be remembered
that the college students of today are also under stress, which they may not show. The classroom
leader leads these young students from darkness to light. Once in the bright and open
environment, it is the faculty that models the personality of the young teenagers entering the
adulthood, facilitating the transition from high school to college and contributing immensely
towards their holistic development. Creating leadership at every level should be the hallmark of
an organization. Accepting the central percept that serving the students is indeed the very
purpose of the organization, the faculty role would transform from pure classroom teaching to
the one in which they create cross discipline learning environment. Globalization in general and
liberalization in education is rapidly changing the students’ expectations. It is necessitating the
faculty at all levels including academic administrators and every level of leadership to act and
behave like owners. The term ownership deserves some elaboration. Ownership is not a matter of
employees (Faculty & Staff) owning a part of the University/Department. It is all about treating
every student as your own customer and not that of the institution concerned or the admission
department alone. Ownership of a student is synonymous with ownership of the University. It is
the spirit of commitment that one must try to bring in at all levels in the University and hence, the
most important aspect of leadership at all levels.
2. Teachers as Mentors
An important & significant role of a teacher is to be a mentor of a given group of students. These
students would be assigned to the respective mentors at the commencement of the programme
who would remain mentors till the students pass out from the University. Their mentees would
be carefully listening to each word they speak as mentors. Teachers are looked up to by hundreds
of eyes, therefore, they have to act as a role model for the students. Mentors would need to set a
personal example of the highest order. For example, a faculty expecting good grooming and
punctuality must set a personal example every day of the semester, whether inside the class or
outside of it. True mentorship is about maximizing the strengths of others, not propagating your
own.
3. Mentoring
Mentoring is the simplest & the most effective tool available to CRL to develop a student into a
leader of tomorrow. What is mentoring? Partnering relationship than parenting relationship;
blending humility with confidence, rapport creating, art of listening; offering advice are just a
few connotations. In the CRL scenario, mentors are leaders who engage in deliberate
actions aimed at promoting learning. The objective of mentoring is to help improve a student’s
self-esteem and confidence; To provide opportunities to develop positive relationships; To
recognize potential of the students and allow them to look beyond their present conditions and
envision a promising future to fulfill the desired objectives. Mentor is also to create an enriching
environment for learning. It is always a two-way relationship. It is a partnership, which should
last much beyond the college days. The excellence of a mentor is judged if the mentee surpasses
his/her teacher, over a period of time. And at that point in time both mentor and the mentee
should be proud of each other. Mentoring is an inspiring, creative and motivating experience,
which aids the personal development of the mentor and the mentee. Being a mentor offers you
the opportunity to first help others achieve their goals, develop coaching skills, acquire new
perspective and then develop skills in others. New teachers need models of good instructions.
Being a good teacher does not automatically mean that one would be a good mentor. Working
with adults is not the same as working with children. It is imperative that those responsible for
mentoring adults be fully aware of the special characteristics of adult learners. Adults would
need to be self-directed learners. Their experience base is a rich resource of learning. Adult
learning is linked to what they need to know or do in order to fulfill their role and
responsibilities. Adult learners are problem centered rather than subject centered. Emphasis is
always on enabling and empowering. Some of the qualities of a mentor are given at Annexure-I.
Confidentiality: - Care must be taken to observe the rights of mentee’s privacy. A mentor does
not talk to other students about the progress/developments. A mentor must understand his/her
role with the mentee and respect the boundaries of confidentiality.
4. Creating leaders from the people around you are not a simple undertaking. However, it is
critically important to the Institution. This would be particularly true as ASADI grows and
ASADIANS move all over the world. Just what does it take? At the outset, the mentor needs to
know his/her mentee and what do they want? What it takes to excel in meeting the mentee’s
needs. The mentor would also need to do an introspection. A thorough understanding of oneself
is essential before undertaking the role of a mentor. Be a leader first before proceeding ahead
with the onerous task of mentoring leaders of the future. Emphasize and leverage the strengths of
the students. Focusing on their weakness will get in the way of our mission. Always having three
reasons why one student is the smartest person in the classroom and the only one who could
possibly do things right is a dangerous trait for a teacher. It will create a negative spiral that may
soon spin out of control. We would never be able to exploit the talent and build the leaders.
5. So, how do you avoid the negative trap? How do you create a world full of stars?
Opportunity: Provide mentees with the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths. Give them
meaningful projects and tasks, exciting challenges and assignments that are suitable for lower
level or less academically bright students. However, there must be a meaningful opportunity to
contribute in a challenging way for the leader in training.
Accountability and Feedback: Everyone actually wants to be accountable. They also want
regular feedback. Tell the mentees what you expect? What do they do well? Explain what they
can improve upon and always appreciate their efforts howsoever small these be. It is difficult to
provide a constructive criticism. It takes time and effort. It requires thoughtfulness and
discipline. However, it is the best way to mentor the students to step up to leadership positions.
Reward and Advancement: Everyone must be rewarded for a job done well. This does not
necessarily require money. Often the most successful reward in terms of motivating mentee is a
genuine “thank you” or “well done” or “good show”. However, a small investment in toffees and
chocolates would not bust our monthly budget. Acknowledgement of meeting achievements
keeps mentees invested. Increasingly more difficult and exciting projects, giving them additional
responsibility or an independent assignment could be thought of as part of advancement. The
good news is this advancement, (so long as the other important factors of relationship are in
place), may be all that is necessary to continue to motivate the individuals. Building an enterprise
of stars takes time. It requires a mentor to focus on their strengths, not dwell on their weaknesses.
It seeks you to invest on your mentees. Help them learn – teach them everything you think you
know. Holding back to maintain control or mask insecurities is common but disastrous. A mentor
may even build the leaders who will fund your next great idea.
That Extra Mile: Mentor should be willing to share his/her experiences and help the mentees to
reach their full potential. Emphasis would always be on enabling and empowering to do things
for themselves.
6. At an institute of higher learning like ours, the focus should be on developing the ability of a
mentee to flourish in a world that is fundamentally diverse and different. Besides, education,
today, is without borders. We must consider the excellence and content of our education, if we
are to adequately prepare out mentees for tomorrow. We need to go beyond multidisciplinary
options towards an interdisciplinary approach. According to a survey by European University
Association (EUA), the core transferable skills that a student should have, and these are quite
independent of a field of knowledge, are listed at Annexure-II. The mentor would be charged
with the responsibility of creating these skills for the future leaders. Additionally, and more
importantly, we as mentors have to be ‘future ready’ ourselves before we can produce leaders of
tomorrow. To keep a reference point and progress of their respective wards, a suggested format
for the mentors is given at Annexure-III. A mentor must know everything about a mentee. This is
not done in the classroom style. Talking to mentee as an equal would not bring down the position
& prestige of a mentor. A simple principle is to create an environment of “a home away from
home”. A first semester mentee who would miss his home after the very first month of his stay
would need a different approach than a final semester student looking for a job and a career. An
acid test of a mentor is when his/her mentee comes to meet without being asked to do so, and
then shares his thoughts and anxieties. Mentor must probe in a friendly manner of the ongoing in
his mind. Mentor must record a gist of every meeting to draw a larger picture and mentor
him/her accordingly. The most important aspect is the confidentiality of all the meetings and the
discussions thereof. This is not to become a tearoom gossip if a boy expresses a feeling for girl to
the mentor. This process would need to be monitored by the Head of the Institution regularly, say
once in 6 to 8 weeks. Mentoring is a two-way relationship. In classical terms, a mentor would be
a friend, philosopher and a guide. A word of caution, however, friendliness must never border on
familiarity. In the final analysis, it is not a solo performance. It is a combined effort of the
mentor and the mentee and a result of their bonding that will produce the leaders of tomorrow.
7. Education today means bringing out the potentialities of the individual for self-development.
According to Dr. S. Radhakrishnan “The aim of education is not the acquisition of information,
although important, or acquisition of technical skills, though essential in modern society, but the
development of that bent of mind, that attitude of reason, that spirit of democracy which will
make us responsible citizens. The goal is commitment to knowledge and advancement of
learning”. Further education is the process of giving the individual knowledge and skills that
he/she should apply in his/her life. Inculcating noble traditions, compassion and love in the
individual in order to help him/her lead a full life should be the aim of a mentor.
ANNEXURE-1
QUALITIES OF A MENTOR
Good listener – speaks less, listens more and carefully counsels the
needs of the mentee.
Genuinely interested – show empathy
Reliable – commitment given must be fulfilled
Responsible – responsible for all action of the mentee
Responsive – do not hesitate to say “I do not know, but will find out”
A guide – avoid “you should do this, should not do that” etc.
A trusted friend – not be superficial
Always available – commits to spending time with mentee
Patient – respects the differences between himself and the mentee
Knowledgeable – familiar with the resources available in the
Campus and how the mentee can benefit from these.
Confidant – reliable, self-assured and conscientious when interacting
with the mentee
Inspiration – sees the possibilities by bringing to life the qualities we
aspire for ourselves
 ANNEXU
RE-2
SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

• Communication
• Acquiring and processing information
• Synthesizing knowledge
• Integrating knowledge from different disciplines
• Leadership: team management, dealing with uncertainty, conflict handling
• Failure management
• Commercial awareness (market, IPR)
• Research management
• Creative thinking (discovery, imaging solutions)
• Negotiation
• Understanding of business environment
• User requirement consciousness
• Coping with conflicting demands
• Analytical skills
• Methodological knowledge and skills
• Communication and presentation skills
• Management skills
• International, intercultural experience and competence working in such
environments
• Language skills
• People and relationship management skills
• Computer science skills
• Hard science knowledge (to a certain degree), e.g. statistics
• Interdisciplinary skills and knowledge – broader picture and understanding of the
world
• Entrepreneurship
• Social skills in different context (in different socio-economic environments)
• Creative thinking, innovation
• Ethics
• Problems
MENTORSHIP
What is it all About ?
“Education is a shared commitment between
dedicated teachers, motivated students and
enthusiastic parents with high expectations.”

- Bob Beauprez
 Mentee Partner (Parent)
(Student)

Mentor (Teacher)
INTRODUCING THE TRINITY CONCEPT IN ASADI MENTORING

MENTOR

MENTEE PARTNER
 MENTOR

ANALYSIS REPORT FEEDBACK REPORT

MENTEE PARTNER

EVALUATION REPORT
 WEAKNESS ANALYSED IN THE CURRENT MENTORING SYSTEM
AND
PROBABLE SOLUTIONS IDENTIFIED

• Mentee is not responding to the Mentor

Solution : Introduction of PARTNER and the self evaluation ( Evaluation Report ) into the
system to ensure the Mentee participation.

• Time Management issue for Mentor to analyse and feedback

Solution : One month back to back evaluation process which allows sufficient buffer time
for the Mentor.

• Mentee is not getting any feedback

Solution : Introduction of Analysis report (to mentee) and Feedback report (to partner).
PLAN OF ACTION

PHASE 1 - LOOK
PHASE 2 - THINK
PHASE 3 - ACT
PHASE 1 - LOOK ( WEEK 1 )
- Mentor sitting with the Co-Mentor to observe performance of Mentee.

PHASE 2 - THINK ( WEEK 2 and WEEK 3 )

- Mentor and Mentee sitting together for analysing the observations
- After that Mentee and Partner together evaluating the analysis report
produced by Mentor , where the Mentor can visit as a guest via online
platforms.

PHASE 3 - ACT ( WEEK 4)

- Mentor and Partner is sitting together to give a feedback to mentee to go
forward based on the evaluation produced by Mentee and Partner.
Tips For MENTORS To Make The Most Of The ASADI Mentorship Program

• Respect Mentees energy : Invest in your mentee's success

• Embrace feedback : Give open, honest input - even when it’s hard
• Personalize mentorship : Don’t just mentor – sponsor/reward
• Confidentiality : Care must be taken to observe the rights of mentee’s
privacy
 PLAN
Tips For MENTEES To Make
PLANThe OF
OF Of
Most ACTION
ACTION
The ASADI Mentorship Program

• Express your curiosity to learn more

• Share your interests and expectations with the mentor
• Sketch out an agenda with the mentor
• Be open to feedback
• Keep in touch with your mentor and follow up
Tips For PARTNERS To Make The Most Of The ASADI Mentorship Program

• Respect your child’s thoughts and opinions without judging them

• Support your child’s interests and strengths, but don’t force things
• Set Realistic Expectations with the Mentor
• Come to Each Meeting with a Prepared Agenda
• Be Open About Your Needs and Provide Feedback to the Mentor
• Recognize the Mentor’s Limitations
• Remember Your Mentor is a Volunteer
DEDICATED MENTORS
MOTIVATED MENTEES
ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNERS