Nathan Huntsinger, Senior Director for Workforce Innovation Strategies, People Strategies – Global Team
For any organization that is focused on transforming their organizational culture through staff development initiatives, mentoring is a way to strategically invest in staff in a way that fosters learning, growth, organizational engagement and a healthier, more engaged workforce. As HR in SIL looks towards the future and the number of staff who will be retiring and leaving the organization in the coming years, we realize that there is a danger that we will lose decades of experience and knowledge without providing the opportunities our staff need to pass on that knowledge.
Mentoring is a great tool to facilitate the needed transfer of knowledge.
It is key that we equip and encourage our experienced staff members to share their expertise with our new or less experienced staff. Mentoring also provides opportunities for professional and specific skill development which in turn can lead to a more engaged staff and higher retention levels. Mentoring also plays a key role in succession planning by identifying and equipping our staff to take on key responsibilities in the future.
Elvire Ngnoulaye, Leadership Development Co-Director in the Learning and Development Team (Workforce Innovations Strategies, People Strategies – Global Team) Organisational Development Team Member (Localisation/Organisational Development Initiative)
A sentence like “mentoring provides microlearning opportunities for busy staff in an effective way” resonates well with me. More than long demanding academic programs, microlearning allows mentees to be supported and equipped in their areas of development. This is due to the small doses of targeted and practical content, which naturally leads to a high absorption rate. This mentoring strategy is possible and fulfilling even with very busy schedules.
I have precious memories of these types of sessions with my mentor. Our conversations focused on “small topics”. They varied in length, met different needs, but they always brought encouragement and a desire to improve. Despite our busy schedules, we could still meet thanks to the fact that learning content and learning time could be divided up in little chunks.
This gave me increasing confidence in what to learn and how to learn it.
Trying to replicate this strategy with others has been rewarding. I recently met with a younger colleague. As we chatted she said, “When I listen to you, hope and enthusiasm emerge … I feel I can learn from you, but I can’t do onerous learning. Would you be available for short targeted talks with me?” To which I enthusiastically responded, “Yes, of course!”
Stacey Wyse, Director for Coaching and Mentoring, SIL Global HR
Mentoring staff within your team and across teams is pivotal for fostering growth, enhancing performance, and cultivating a supportive work environment. By pairing experienced team members with those who are less experienced, mentors can share knowledge, provide feedback, and offer guidance that fits the individual needs connecting to the organizational goals.
This personalized approach accelerates skill development, boosts confidence, and promotes professional advancement.
Additionally, mentoring encourages collaboration, and communication among team members, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Through mentorship, staff members not only expand their capabilities but also deepen their commitment to team success, ultimately driving higher levels of productivity and satisfaction within the organization.
Reflection Question
Are there any benefits (or mentoring techniques) that you have experienced in staff development that are not mentioned above?
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Comment”.
Coleen Starwalt, Linguistics Consultant, SIL Nigeria
SIL Nigeria is a growing entity. Alongside new expatriate colleagues, we are successfully recruiting many Nigerians to work in all of our domains, including linguistics. As work expands, consultants like myself, are strongly encouraged (if not expected) to mentor others. This is especially true in the case of newer personnel, in order to increase their capacity for doing their jobs well, and to equip them into becoming mentors themselves. In order to better respond to this challenge within the linguistics domain, I have taken the Introduction to Mentoring course and am in the process of finishing the Practical Mentoring course.
My Whole-Person Mentoring Approach Attracts Leaders
About the time I started the Practical Mentoring course, I began mentoring one of our newer and gifted linguists. Up until this point I had been mentoring cross-domain, focusing on issues of personal and spiritual growth. The Lord brought me several leaders and experts, two of whom are Nigerians, who see their need to grow personally and spiritually. They desire to become more effective mentors, using a whole-person approach. I didn’t set out to mentor leaders, but those are the people the Lord has sent to me. Perhaps our greatest personnel assets are spiritually whole and personally whole leaders, irrespective of their domain responsibilities.
The Dynamic of our Mentoring Relationship Provided Direction as I’ve Worked through the Course
In addition to working together on whatever issue my mentee comes with, we frequently take a step back and discuss the mentoring relationship, what we are doing, and how to contextualize what they are learning in their mentoring of fellow Nigerians. My approach to practical mentoring has been to ask how I can better help my mentees become the kind of mentors they desire to be.
Mentee Input into Module Choices
In the Practical Mentoring course, the participant is required to choose five of the twelve modules offered. Instead of just choosing the modules myself, I sent the summaries to my mentees and asked them which ones they were interested in. They evaluated the modules both in terms of where they thought I needed to grow, as well as what topics would be helpful for them. They chose the following modules: ‘Setting clear goals’, ‘Helping the mentee apply new knowledge’, ‘Skills and attitudes’, ‘Advocating and building confidence’, and ‘Providing encouragement and vision’.
An Example of the Effectiveness of this Approach
Involving my mentees’ input into my module choices has proven helpful for my own growth, and especially for the growth of my primary mentee for this course. For example, the goal setting module proved timely as one mentee had many goals to prioritize. His goals covered practical, time-limited goals, as well as ‘soft’ long-term personal/character growth goals. In going through this process, I learned how to better coach someone in identifying and prioritizing his goals and my mentee learned a method that was transferable to those he had begun mentoring. As God gave greater clarity concerning my mentee’s current job assignment, he was able to re-prioritize his goals. It was extremely encouraging when he began reporting how God intervened in some of the seemingly impossible goals and how he had accomplished them much sooner than expected!
Reflection Questions
How have you included or how might you include your mentees in actively participating in your own growth as a mentor?
My holistic approach to mentoring also attracts those in my domain who perceive their need to grow personally, and not just technically. What is your approach when your mentee is hindered professionally because he or she is stuck somewhere personally or spiritually?
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Leave a reply”.
Alejandra Guajardo, Staff Development Team Leader – SIL Americas
I have served as a facilitator in the Spanish online mentoring course for the Americas area for the past three years. This course was originally developed by Elke Muller in English, as an intensive 2-week in-person workshop. The arrival of the pandemic forced us to develop a more condensed online 20-hour version. This adapted course has been taken by almost 50 people, including translation and literacy consultants (experienced consultants and consultants-in-training), as well as staff and team leaders from other departments (HR, technology, training, etc.). The diversity of the participants (age, nationality, language, cultural and academic background) is a challenge for the facilitators, but this diversity has made the learning experience rich and profound. In reviewing the participant reflections in the forums and activities of the course, I have identified some important take-aways.
1. It is necessary to know yourself well before starting a mentoring relationship
Before starting the mentoring relationship, it is essential that both the mentor and the mentee consciously (and strategically) carry out a series of necessary steps, including a self-assessment for self-knowledge. As adults, we could assume that we know ourselves quite well; however, there will always be aspects of our personality that we are cognisant of. These could present a challenge in the mentoring relationship.
Am I an introvert or extrovert?
When making a decision, do I give more importance to facts, objectivity and data, or do I think that the most important consideration is the person?
Do I learn best about a topic by listening to personal stories and discovering how people apply their learning in real life, or do I prefer concrete information (data, analysis and examples) that I may apply in a practical way?
Is my communication style direct or indirect?
When my mentor gives me feedback, do I prefer the mentor to get straight to the point and tell me where I went wrong, or does that kind of direct feedback make me feel bad?
Picture: Kaiwá Bible translator Salvador Sanches (right) and Brazilian translation consultant Cristiano Barros (left) working together. Salvador drafted the translation alone and then he and Cristiano revised it and continued the work together. Photo: Wycliffe Global Alliance
2. Have an initial conversation to clarify roles, expectations and beliefs.
One of our participants shared in a forum,“I ask myself as a mentor: If I don’t know the other person’s expectations, their goals, their needs, their strengths and weaknesses, will I be able to effectively guide and support my mentee? Can we agree and move forward on a proper path to success?”
Being clear about what role each person will have in the mentoring relationship will allow us to move forward more easily and quickly to achieve the learning goals. In addition, sharing our expectations and beliefs about what mentoring is and what we think a mentor and a mentee should do will save us a lot of headache. It will prevent us from falling into disappointment and apathy when we find that this is not what I expected.
In my experience working on the mentoring project in the Americas, I have seen cases in which problems between mentor and mentee could have been avoided (or resolved) more easily if both had talked about these points before starting the mentoring process:
A mentee treated his mentor like a therapist, each meeting sharing all his personal problems and existential doubts. The mentor felt uncomfortable and overwhelmed with the situation.
A mentee complained bitterly because her mentor wanted to control every aspect of her life, going beyond the growth goals that the mentee wanted to achieve (developing as a translation consultant) and even trying to impose a daily schedule of tasks (that were totally incompatible with her personal life and responsibilities).
3. Try to know and understand the context and culture of the other person.
As members of a multicultural organization, we may think that our knowledge about cultural differences and their impact on our relationships is sufficient; however, we need to ensure that we do not fall into stereotypes or generalisations that lead to misunderstanding. We must approach our mentoring partner with respect, humility, and with a genuine interest towards their personal history, context, and culture. In the words of one of our participants from Colombia, “As a mentor I think that appreciating the differences is very important. We can find a lot of richness in the diversity of thoughts and perspectives on a topic or learning. Also, one can discover things that one would never have considered before.”
Picture: Translation consultant, Gisela Beckman talking with a consultant in training during a translation consultant workshop in Lima, Peru ( March 2023) Photo:Mauro Micieli
Ideally before starting a mentoring relationship, we should take the time to get to know each other better, clarify doubts, and reflect on our personal learning styles. Unfortunately, many times this does not happen. It may be that our enthusiasm to begin this learning experience is too great. In other cases, especially when it is a formal mentoring program, there may be pressure from our supervisors to find a mentor or perhaps there is a shortage of mentors available and we will be assigned the person who is closest to us.
So, if you are thinking about starting a mentoring process (either as a mentor or mentee), start your preparation now and try to take the time to talk with your future mentoring partner about these issues. Look for similarities and shared interests, and pray to the Lord together for help to grow in knowledge and respect about your differences. If you are the supervisor of someone who is going to begin this experience, make sure that he or she has the time and resources necessary to begin well.
4. The same formula doesn’t always work. It will depend on the context.
In one of the last activities of the mentoring course, we ask our participants to reflect on the different types of mentoring that exist (formal, informal, group, individual, peer, etc.) and determine if all of these types are possible in their cultural and organizational contexts. It is interesting to see that while everyone appreciates the advantages of formal mentoring (establishing clear goals, a development plan, signing a mentoring agreement, etc.), participants recognized that it is not always possible or effective to establish a formal program and that some flexibility is necessary.
“It may not be easy to implement it in such a formal way, I think each stage could be gradually integrated. Labeling is not a custom in Latin America. Here, the processes occur naturally, they flow naturally. When have you seen a Peruvian or Colombian follow the instructions in a cookbook to make a dish?… Never. Well, the same would be with mentoring.”
Picture: A session on group mentoring during a translation consultant workshop in Lima, Peru ( March 2023) Photo: Mauro Micieli
It may also be the case that in many contexts, individual mentoring is the most successful. A mentor walks with their mentee in their development, devoting significant time and interest to them.
However in other situations, it is group-mentoring that will give better results.
“In our indigenous reality, it is much easier to walk with another person and transmit knowledge through practice. Well, we are communitarian, we learn in groups, in community, seeing, hearing, experiencing.”
In other cases, team-mentoring or peer-mentoring would be the most effective option.
“I think that in our field a Community of Practice would work better. It is wonderful to imagine that literacy consultants could meet regularly to encourage each other in taking on apprentices and passing on their knowledge. I could imagine a planned group mentoring on a specific topic in which the consultant with the most experience in that topic could teach all the trainees.”
Therefore, if you are a mentor or team leader thinking about starting a mentoring program, consider what type of mentoring would work in your context and culture. Does your organization or team have the right structure for the type of mentoring you have chosen? Is it possible to implement in-person mentoring, or is online mentoring is the only viable option? Perhaps it is possible to implement a hybrid system that adjusts to the reality of the context and individual and cultural preferences? Whatever type of mentoring you choose, it should be a program that is flexible enough to take into account cultural values, organizational values, and personal preferences.
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Leave a reply”.
When I arrived on the field to serve, it was important to me to also serve in the local church. I myself had studied at Bible School for three years and due to the local context and the demands placed on leaders, I decided mentor one of them in order to help improve the quality of their preaching. The mentee assured me that he was proficient in the language of wider communication; therefore, I decided to work with him using the hermeneutics manual from my Bible school, translated into Russian (see image above).
When reading this book in the language of wider communication, I was astonished by the wealth of vocabulary used in the translation, especially those words which are uncommon in the spoken language. This is due to the influence of Greek on the Russian language. Nevertheless, I did not forecast any difficulties.
Building trust is a great challenge and even within France it can vary between regions (Provence is more relationship-focused while Paris is more task-focused). For myself, trust is built on the accomplishment of a task. If the task isn’t completed, my trust will be broken. Without trust, I would quickly stop the mentoring relationship. After two meetings, it appeared that my mentee did not read or at least did not understand the readings. Nevertheless the mentee did meet with me twice, thereby confirming his motivation. Since the aim was clear, the language proficiency of my mentee seemed to be the main obstacle to his development.
The problem was not in the aim, but in the tool we used.
To mentor somebody in a language of wider communication is a challenge, necessitating a good assessment of a mentee’s proficiency in this language. The appropriate way to give feedback is also important. Finally, building trust is not easy and body language is also important.
One practical suggestion in developing an intercultural mentoring relationship, in a language of wider communication, is to try several different resources before making a choice. It is not a waste of time to start off by suggesting you read the first page of several different books.
It is extremely important to build a relationship that is based on awareness of cultural differences.
Which resource to use: the best choice according to the mentor or the most understandable resource for the mentee?
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Leave a reply”.
Michael Jemphrey, PhD, SIL Translation & Anthropology Consultant
Tacit knowledge is like buried treasure: precious, but often overlooked because it is hidden away out of sight. Tacit knowledge includes things we do without consciously paying attention to them, like driving to a familiar destination. At a recent seminar this helpful slide was presented, distinguishing between explicit and tacit knowledge.
A hidden treasure
Organizations tend to concentrate on the 15% explicit knowledge we each have because it is more obvious and easier to document and measure. So much wisdom is in danger of being lost every time someone leaves a role – wisdom that cannot be accessed through a Google search! If we learn through robust mentoring to harness such tacit knowledge and insight, we can: accelerate the growth of younger colleagues, help them to avoid making the same mistakes we did, and create richer opportunities for transformation.
A recent personal example
After 6 years in the position of Translation Coordinator for Francophone Africa, I believed I had given what I could to the role, and that the Lord was readying me for a new challenge within SIL. The Area leadership encouraged me in this and identified someone with gifts, vision and energy to take over. I am so thankful to have had 18 months to mentor my successor. It wasn’t just a simple job handover (“here are the things to do”). Rather this period allowed us to work together on certain tasks. This individual could see the challenges we were facing. He was ready to ask some awkward questions, to ponder with me over how things were done and to bring fresh perspective and ideas. He saw the gaps, which only new eyes could notice, and did not always do things exactly as I had done.
My successor was also aware of gaps in his knowledge and asked for background information. He was keen to introduce some changes to address particular issues. However, having grown up with the system for the past decade and having seen how it evolved, I was aware there were reasons for the way things were. After sharing that (invisible) tacit knowledge, we could then work together to come up with a modified and more gradual approach to change (one that I trust will be sustainable). So, in this context, mentoring allowed for new ideas to interact with older tacit knowledge to provide momentum for improvements.
I hope this example demonstrates the difference between sharing tacit knowledge and a simple handover. Even after my colleague took over my role, he asked me to take responsibility for the first week of a translation consultant training (interpersonal skills) while he took on the administration of the course and the organization of the second week. During this training event, we were able to continue to learn together.
Passing on the treasure of tacit knowledge
The webinar suggested that there needs to be a process in place to capture and pass on tacit knowledge. A robust mentoring process can help by:
inviting the newcomer to become a valued and heard member of the team (along with competency development),
allowing the transfer of knowledge while building relationships and developing new skills,
reflecting: If we do a project together, what have we all learned? What will we do differently next time?
Retirement of an experienced member can result in a huge loss of knowledge and wisdom to a group. When an experienced person retires, some ideas are to:
interviewthem: about their perspective their suggestions and their vision for the future of the organization
record them telling storiesto bring to the surface their tacit knowledge
ask how they might like to continue to contribute on a part-time or volunteer basis to mentor others.
What ways can you think of to unbury and share this tacit knowledge in your own context?
Annukka Kinnaird, Literacy and Education Consultant at SIL
Last year I took part in the Introduction to Mentoring online course. I found it an uplifting and positive experience. One image from the PowerPoint presentation stuck in my mind: a tiny spring-green little branch growing out of a big tree. As I have been working on a research paper on workplace bullying, it occurred to me that bullying is the exact opposite of that image: bullying is a stifling force aiming to prevent that branch from growing, even wanting to destroy it altogether.
Out of interest, I then decided to make a chart. I collected definitions and ideas for mentoring from both the course material and the ideas the participants had produced and compared them with bullying. It worked: in so many aspects, bullying is the direct opposite of mentoring.
Bullying sounds rather horrible – and indeed, it is. Where mentoring encourages open, “other-centred” two-way dialogue and genuine listening, bullying does not allow this type of communication (even though it may look like it at a glance). It is instead characterized by a deeply critical, negative outlook on things which shows itself in “bully-centred,” almost mafia-like hinting, threatening and using a clever mixture of truths and mistruths. The good news is that mentoring can work as an antidote to bullying by encouraging a positive atmosphere, helping us detect bullying and manipulation (just by knowing what its opposite is) and making us more sensitive to acceptable and desirable behaviour.
Works Cited for Table
Introduction to Mentoring Course material. 2022
Namie, G and Namie, R. 2009. The Bully at Work. Sourcebooks.
Namie, G and Namie, R. 2011. The Bully-free Workplace. John Wiley & Sons
Wilkinson, H. 2013. Insight into child and adult bullying. CWR
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Diane Lovell, Translation Consultant-in-Training, SIL Southern Africa
I serve in Bible translation with SIL SOA and also work as Dean of Students at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa. I live and work in a multicultural family of Christian believers who all have ample opportunity to intentionally or unintentionally hurt each other. I’m convinced that if we see each other as genuine brothers and sisters in Christ, then we will make an effort to understand each other even when we are confused by someone’s actions and even when we are deeply hurt.
South Africans know that cross-cultural relationships come with opportunities to hurt or help each other. It can be easy to assume the worst about the intentions of another’s actions. Two observations have helped me navigate cross-cultural relationships, particularly those with a mentor-mentee shape.
First, cross-cultural sensitivity does not mean harmony at all costs. It’s not about erasing my cultural identity and assimilating wholesale to the other. We all know that we should be intentionally aware of our cultural worldviews and notice the differences. Yet, we might think harmony is achieved if we shrug off what makes us different and take on a new way of thinking out of courtesy to the other person. Alternatively, we might think respectful distance between cultures will avoid conflict and sharp division. South Africans are unfortunately all too familiar with enforced social walls between different ethnicities, even in our churches.
Neither path works. Instead, both parties must work towards Christian sanctification, the redemption of their different cultures, and being open to being shaped to be more like Jesus through their encounters with colleagues (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 12:1-2). The different cultures within the church need each other (1 Cor 12:12-31). Practically, this is much more than just cultural intelligence or intercultural competence. Healthy cross-cultural relationships require that both mentor and mentee are willing to learn from each other and are willing to change.
Secondly, we must take the time to understand the other person and what is happening verbally and nonverbally. I like the cultural iceberg metaphor: above the water are the readily identifiable cultural differences like food, dress, mannerisms, and language, but like an iceberg, there’s far more under the water. We have complex value systems, deeply rooted attitudes, and values for things like work, time, relationships, justice, communication styles and unsaid but assumed rules and taboos. It’s easy to make wrong assumptions about why someone shows something different above the water if we assume they are the same as us below the water. I think the answer is time; time spent suspending judgment long enough, but not forever, time that is long enough to understand the iceberg. This can be very hard when we feel hurt, but it’s one of the ways God uses to shape our own iceberg.
Even though these cross-cultural relationships can be difficult sometimes, God challenges us to love those who are different from us. He honours the work we put into those relationships by changing us too, but not so we will all end up the same. Mentoring is not a carbon-copy process. We’re not replicating. We’re growing. He does it so that we can all take our unique place in the body of Christ.
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Leave a reply”.
Eszter Ernst-Kurdi, Training Domain Team Leader, SIL Francophone Africa
As a mentor, do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of competencies that your mentees need help with?
As a coordinator, do you struggle to find enough mentors?
Group mentoring can be an effective strategy to invest in several mentees at the same time. It helps to deal with a shortage of mentors, saves time and creates a dynamic learning environment.
If in your workplace you have a set of competencies that many mentees need to work on, and you have access to some resources they can all draw on, a well-structured, group mentoring setting can help you and your mentees advance more quickly and efficiently.
Here is a great example from Cameroon:
In May, Dr. Virginia Beavon-Ham (Linguistics Consultant, SIL Cameroon) started a series of group mentoring sessions. The topic of the first session was Consulting Process Skills, which is a required competency category for all consultants in her organisation.
Her strategy involves gathering mentors and mentees, once a month, in an hybrid group (in-person and online). Each meeting targets one of the interdisciplinary consultant core competencies required across all domains. Each time a different person takes the lead to facilitate the conversation around the topic of the meeting. There is prework to be done using some recommended online resources. The 90-minute group discussion is based on this prework : participants reflect on the prework, contextualise it, ask questions, share experiences and consolidate their learning together with the mentor. After the meeting, there is homework to be done by the mentees to show that they can apply their takeaways in a real-life consulting situation and reflect on itskillfully.
This recent example from Cameroon is encouraging and shows that well-structuredgroup mentoring sessions can save you time and money. They can fit in with the competency-based consultant certification framework (CBC) and draw on resources on this Mentoring Matters website and also the Consultant Competencies website. If you use existing, online resources as prework, you do not need to invest a lot of time in preparing the content. The hybrid option opens up the possibility to bring people together across continents which makes for a richer experience both in terms of learning and community.
Reflection questions:
Have you experimented with group mentoring sessions in the workplace? What has been your experience?
Would you give this group mentoring approach a try in your context?
What advantages and disadvantages do you see to group mentoring in your workplace?
Share your ideas and insights below by clicking on “Leave a comment”.
I learned the importance of discipleship in student ministry at McGill university. During my final two years there, my discipler, Anka, closely fostered my spiritual growth. We read books together on the nature of God and the meaning of the Gospel. She coached me through relationship struggles, walked me through the difficult process of forgiveness, coached me through the challenges of being a student leader during a global pandemic, and was always there to hold me when I cried. Despite her busy schedule, she made it a point to occasionally take me out to dinner. With her guidance, I took the leap of faith to start with SIL directly after finishing my undergrad. She was, and still is, one of my best friends; she brings out the best in me. This was all I knew Christian mentorship to be, and it was wonderful.
I started full-time with SIL in August 2022 after a wonderfully hectic summer. As a 22-year-old fresh college graduate and newlywed who was starting her first full-time job, I was definitely in need of a mentor. I missed Anka, and although I was sad to be leaving her back in Montreal, I was looking forward to taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge in my new workplace. My supervisor, Dan, saw mentorship as a necessity. Before my first day on the job, he matched me with my workplace mentor, Christy, the only other female data scientist in SIL. She was a great fit for me, but not in the way I first expected.
A week or so before our first session, Christy sent me some daunting-looking forms. A mentoring agreement – what is that? And a goal-setting worksheet? Wasn’t my mentor supposed to already have plans for my professional and spiritual growth? This mentoring style felt strange, unfamiliar, and a bit cold even. But over the following months, I grew to know Christian mentorship in a new way, and it was wonderful.
A few weeks into my new position, Christy and Dan encouraged me to sign up for the Intro to Mentoring course. Despite initially feeling out of place as a mentee in a class full of mentors, I gained many insights which made me a better data scientist, mentee, and person.
As I learned more about the various flavors of mentoring, the distinct responsibilities of mentor and mentee, and the importance of goal setting, I felt I had more sense of direction and purpose going into my meetings with Christy. As a result, she helped me to set goals that not only made me more efficient in my work, but also helped me improve my social and spiritual life. With her guidance, I can now better communicate with my superiors, be assertive, and confidently take initiative in situations where I’m unsure how to proceed. She is the reason I now feel like I belong and can contribute meaningfully to the SIL community; she brings out the best in me. Thanks to Anka and Christy and their unique ways of fostering my growth, I can now grow where I’m planted.
Heline Kimbung, HR Director, SIL Cameroon Larry Seguin, Community Engagement and Sociolinguistics Coordinator, SIL Cameroon
Leadership development and mentoring in SIL Cameroon
In July 2021, SIL Cameroon launched a leadership development and mentoring program aimed at intentionally investing in its future leaders through tapping into the knowledge and experience of its more experienced staff. The program is being co-led by Heline Kimbung, the director of human resources, and Larry Seguin, the coordinator of the Community Engagement and Sociolinguistics Department.
What are our goals?
We have four areas in mind:
Intentionally benefit from the skills and experience of many of our people before they leave or retire.
Proactively find and develop people to take on leadership roles with confidence.
Foster a community of grace by supporting intentional relationships where people are building each other up and contributing to their growth as persons.
Provide training and accompaniment to those currently in mentoring relationships, to help make their experiences as mentors and mentees very rewarding.
What makes this program distinctive from previous mentoring initiatives in Cameroon?
First, mentees are responsible for their own learning.
Second, the mentee chooses his or her mentor. We compile a list of people willing to be mentors, along with their strengths and interests, and share that with the mentees. We have not always been able to satisfy mentees’ preferences, but most of the time we have been able to do so.
Third, the mentee’s and mentor’s supervisors are both included in the process so that they see the mentoring relationship as an integral part of their subordinates’ work.
Fourth, there is a mentoring agreement in place. It spells out clear objectives, a clear timeline for achieving the objectives, an evaluation process, and a date at which the formal relationship comes to an end (with a celebration) or is extended. The mentor, the mentee, and their supervisors sign the agreement.
Mentoring Cafés
Another distinctive feature of our program is the “Mentoring Café.” Providing ongoing hands-on training and refreshers to the parties in the mentorship triangle (mentee, mentor, and supervisor) – and this, in a non-traditional learning format – has been a very rewarding time.
At the mentoring cafes, we spend about 4 hours together, broken down into 30-45 minutes of facilitated and well-planned interactive activity stations. Such activities and conversations have been developed around topics relevant to the mentoring pairs. Topics have included communication; giving and receiving feedback in cross-cultural mentoring relationships; how to motivate yourself and others; how a mentee can take responsibility for his or her learning; evaluating the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship; asking powerful questions; and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a mentor.
To create a relaxed “café” ambiance, snacks and drinks are available throughout the morning.
We finish the café with a debrief, asking what participants appreciated and what improvements they would suggest. We record these for future cafés.
To date, we have had four cafés, with between 12 and 15 participants at each. The individual group sizes have therefore been perfect for encouraging participation by all in the discussions.
Preparing for the next cohort
The seven mentees in the current cohort occupy positions varying from construction and maintenance, finance, and library to language project development, facilitation, and implementation.
We have been excited by the growth we have seen in our colleagues who have been taking part in this first cohort and look forward to starting a second cohort by the end of 2022.
Reflection question:
What could you do in your sphere of influence to strengthen mentoring relationships?
What could it look like to organise a Mentoring Café in your organisation or department?
