Mentoring Services

The mentoring program at UNC-Chapel Hill was designed to provide support mechanisms to ensure individual and departmental mentoring success. The program will also create readiness for mentoring within the entire institution, which will:

• Support the goals of developing a vital and effective workforce
• Accomplish individual and University goals

Mentoring is a smart organizational practice in which people come together to transfer or develop a specific skill set from one to another. Mentoring is about growth and change, movement and discovery. In the mentoring process, transformational learning and leveraging of experiences become gateways to growth and development. The actual practice and look of mentoring varies with the people and departments participating in the process.

Mentoring takes place among all levels of an organization. Whether people engage in traditional one-on one mentoring partnerships, or engage in peer and team mentoring, the mentoring process invites participants to grow into their full potential, enriching the workplace and helping an organization grow. These partnerships can be conducted face-to-face, but increasingly take the form of distance mentoring, including videoconferencing, emailing, and phone calls.

There are numerous advantages to providing mentoring programs within and across departments at UNC-Chapel Hill. Recognized benefits of mentoring include:

• Increased competency levels in accomplishing crucial work for departments and the University
• Personal and direct contributions to the career development of talented employees
• Accelerated leadership development: sharpen coaching, management and communication skills (both for the mentor and the mentee) -- vital skills for successful leadership practices 
• Increased organizational commitments and job satisfaction:  renewed interest and vigor for work responsibilities and the benefit of the larger institution. 
• Heightened individual and organizational learning
• Stronger and more cohesive teams

UNC-Chapel Hill encourages and supports a culture of learning and development for all employees. Each organization has a unique culture, or a generally understood way that things are done and why they are done. The culture of an organization is rooted in behavior based on shared values, assumptions, and practices and processes. By embedding mentoring into the fabric and culture of an organization, value is added to the organization in the following ways:

• Establishes ownership throughout the organization by holding everyone accountable for organizational learning and success
• Promotes shared responsibility
• Maximizes resources
• Facilitates knowledge use
• Supports integration of key processes into the organization
• Creates openness to learning through mentoring

Mentoring can easily be incorporated into existing departmental operating procedures:

• The employee's Professional Development Plan can include goals and skill sets to be addressed through mentoring 
• Mentoring can be used to bring new hires up to speed with departmental and University policies and procedures
• Mentoring is a natural way to begin succession planning
• Mentoring can be a cornerstone of individual career development planning

Training & Development is ready to help individuals, departments, and organizations realize goals through the skills of mentoring. We provide:

• Stock and custom-made mentoring materials
• Information about mentoring to promote a mentoring culture and educated University professionals
• Individual consultations to departments to develop and support mentoring efforts within the organization
• Organization development programs custom designed to meet your mentoring needs

Training & Development looks forward to encouraging and supporting your organization to establish and sustain a culture of mentoring and learning. Contact us at 962-2550 to inquire how our department can support your organizational mentoring objectives.