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Film-style poster for the Working Agreement for Mentors presentation

A guide for mentors: Working Agreement for Mentors

How to send the Working Agreement, read the answers and agree on them together.

English

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What it is

Goals, rhythm and rules, in writing

You and your mentee agree goals, a meeting rhythm and a few ground rules.

When to send it

Send it at the very start

It works best before your first or second meeting, while habits are still forming.

  • A new pairing the library suggests it for the start
  • Meetings have drifted to reset the rhythm together
  • The review date fill it again and compare

An honest frame

An agreement, not a contract

It records what you both expect, and you can change it at the review.

  • Both voices count tick only the rules you both accept
  • Up to five goals the most important one first
  • A review date so it gets looked at again

Sending it

Send it from your pairing

It takes a minute, and your mentee gets an email.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find the Working Agreement.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Ask for a first draft, then finish it together.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find the Working Agreement.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Ask for a first draft, then finish it together.

Reading the answers

Look for what is left out

An unticked rule or an empty hope often says more than the ticks.

  • The first goal they were asked to put the most important first
  • Bring and hope does what they hope for match what you can give?
  • Unticked rules ask why, without pressure

Questions to ask

Talk about the hard parts early

People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

  • Which goal matters most right now? then: why that one first?
  • When would you cancel, and how will we tell each other? then: how early is early enough?
  • How will we know it is working before the review? then: what would you notice first?

Feedback that helps

Talk about the plan, not the person

Feedback can backfire, so keep it on the agreement and the next step.

1 in 3 Over a third of feedback effects lowered performance in one large review Kluger and DeNisi, 1996

One step

Turn the first goal into a step

Plans in the form "if this happens, then I do that" help people act.

94 Tests found that if-then plans help people reach their goals Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006

After the meeting

Keep the agreement on Mentornity

The answers, your comments and the next steps stay in one place.

Read it at a glance

Goals, rhythm and agreed rules are summed up.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

On the review date, compare the new agreement with the first.

Read it at a glance

Goals, rhythm and agreed rules are summed up.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

On the review date, compare the new agreement with the first.

Agree on it before the second meeting

Send it to a new mentee this week and finish it together when you meet.

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