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Mentoring at Nine A Case Study   The Mentoring Program implemented at the Nine Network is an example of how successful mentoring can be in television. Key elements in the Nine Mentoring Program approach are It is demand driven by the Nine staff. All mentors and mentorees are volunteers. Human Resources co-ordinate and facilitate the program. Mentors and mentorees fill in background information forms to assist with matching. Mentors and mentorees have separate information sessions with Question and Answer on how the program and relationships work, with an external mentoring consultant, Imogen Wareing from The Growth Connection. Mentorees are guided through identifying what they want in a mentor, skills or knowledge areas they want to develop and nomination of a choice of mentors if they know who they need. Human Resources assists with access to potential mentors that a mentoree may not know but who fits their criteria. Mentors explore their role, do’s and don’ts of mentoring, the boundaries between mentors and the direct manager’s responsibilities and how to empower the mentoree. The Nine Network is currently launching their fourth program. Evaluation and feedback from the first two programs has been extremely positive. The mentors thoroughly enjoy their involvement in the program and are gaining personal and professional outcomes that include Broadening their own networks Use of personal experience and reviewing their own careers Satisfaction from assisting their mentoree and seeing results A chance to look at work situations differently Specific feedback from mentorees included Great learning from the mentor’s objective perspectives Different strategies and approaches to consider Expert assistance with work related skills such as script writing Gaining a friend with mutual respect Support and encouragement “invaluable” Increased knowledge of other departments and how they interact Clarified career directions Both groups of mentors and mentorees have also reported that feedback from people not (yet!) in a mentoring program is very positive – ‘they think it’s fabulous!’ The Nine Network mentoring model is relatively informal, with just enough organisational support to ensure that participants are equipped to manage the relationships, help them to happen and monitor the mentoring programs to ensure they are delivering what the participants need and value. It is not a time consuming or expensive model - talk to your Human Resources department about introducing something similar! Imogen Wareing is the Managing Director of The Growth Connection Pty Ltd. Imogen was the guest speaker at the June Women Working in Television networking lunch.           © The Growth Connection Pty. Ltd. 1999 - 2006 A.C.N. 003 421 725 Sydney, Australia iwareing@growconnect.com.au