Mentee Competency Framework
| Foundation | Engaging in mentoring with openness and beginning to apply core self-development competencies. |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | Taking ownership of learning, applying insights consistently, and engaging proactively in the mentoring relationship. |
| Advanced | Highly self-directed, reflective, and contributing to a mentoring culture through leadership and role modelling. |
Pillar 1: Reflective Engagement
This pillar demonstrates the mentee’s self-awareness, accountability, and commitment to continuous personal and professional growth throughout the mentoring journey.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Recognises personal values, strengths, goals, and development needs and their impact on learning. | Identifies strengths, goals, and areas for development with mentor support. | Reflects on feedback and adapts behaviours to enhance learning outcomes. | Demonstrates deep self-awareness, self-regulation, and clarity of purpose in development. |
| Self-Management | Manages emotions, time, and responsibilities to engage effectively in mentoring. | Prepares for sessions and manages basic emotional responses. | Demonstrates consistency, resilience, and adaptability in applying learning. | Models accountability, emotional maturity, and disciplined self-leadership. |
| Commitment to Growth | Demonstrates ownership of learning and proactive engagement in development. | Accepts feedback and participates in agreed development activities. | Actively seeks feedback and applies learning between sessions. | Champions continuous improvement and inspires others through reflective practice. |
Pillar 2: Learning Partnership
This pillar focuses on building a productive mentoring relationship through trust, communication, and active participation in the learning process.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship Building & Contracting | Builds trust and shared responsibility within the mentor–mentee relationship. | Understands mentoring agreements and engages respectfully. | Contributes actively to shaping goals, expectations, and boundaries. | Navigates complex dynamics and strengthens partnership through maturity and trust. |
| Communication & Feedback | Communicates openly and constructively to support learning. | Listens actively, asks questions, and shares perspectives honestly. | Demonstrates empathy, constructive feedback, and professional boundaries. | Models exemplary communication and contributes to mutual learning with the mentor. |
| Learning Engagement | Actively participates in mentoring conversations to deepen insight. | Engages in reflection and discussion during mentoring sessions. | Demonstrates curiosity, critical thinking, and deeper inquiry. | Drives high-impact learning conversations and challenges assumptions thoughtfully. |
Pillar 3: Applied Learning & Contribution
This pillar reflects the mentee’s ability to translate insight into action while contributing positively to the wider mentoring culture.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Application | Applies learning from mentoring to real-world contexts. | Applies mentor guidance to current challenges. | Adapts insights to new or evolving situations. | Demonstrates confident, independent application in complex contexts. |
| Learning Agility | Continuously integrates learning across contexts and experiences. | Learns from mentor experience and reflects on outcomes. | Synthesises learning across multiple situations. | Embeds mentoring insights into broader professional or academic practice. |
| Growth Mindset & Contribution | Demonstrates commitment to learning and contribution to the mentoring community. | Shows openness to learning and improvement. | Begins supporting peers informally and sharing learning. | Advocates for mentoring, supports new mentees, and strengthens a culture of continuous learning. |
Mentor Competency Framework
| Foundation | Learning and applying core competencies. |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | Confident, adaptable, and contextually responsive. |
| Advanced | Highly reflective, impactful, and mentoring at a strategic level. |
Pillar 1: Reflective Practice
This pillar demonstrates self-awareness and a commitment to ongoing growth to enhance mentoring effectiveness and uphold professional integrity.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Recognises personal values, beliefs, and behaviours and their impact on mentoring. | Identifies values and acknowledges their influence. | Reflects and adjusts based on feedback. | Participates in training and accepts feedback. |
| Self-Management | Regulates emotions and maintains professionalism through reflection. | Manages basic emotional responses. | Adapts approach to different mentoring contexts. | Sets goals and engages in continuous learning. |
| Commitment to Growth | Proactively seeks feedback and development to improve practice. | Participates in required training and accepts feedback when offered. | Demonstrates composure in complex situations. | Mentors others and champions reflective development. |
Pillar 2: Mentoring Expertise
This pillar applies a structured, responsive approach to build trust, enable insight, and support purposeful action through effective techniques.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contracting & Relationship Building | Establishes trust and clear agreements to guide mentoring. | Sets expectations and builds rapport. | Uses basic listening and questioning techniques. | Navigates complex dynamics; models ethical contracting and deep trust-building in diverse contexts. |
| Insight & Learning Facilitation | Uses tools and techniques to deepen reflection and learning. | Uses basic listening and questioning techniques. | Applies models to support deeper insight and learning. | Facilitates transformational learning through advanced methods. |
| Action & Evaluation | Supports goal-setting, accountability, and progress tracking. | Encourages goal-setting and tracks progress informally. | Supports accountability and evaluates progress regularly. | Integrates outcome tracking and feedback seamlessly. |
Pillar 3: Applied Wisdom
This pillar draws on relevant experience and contextual understanding to enrich mentoring while maintaining a mentee-centered focus.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contextual Relevance | Applies relevant experience to support the mentee’s context. | Shares experience with basic relevance. | Selects examples aligned to mentee needs. | Integrates experience seamlessly and with humility.. |
| Purposeful Storytelling | Shares experience appropriately to spark insight without dominating. | Offers advice or examples with limited alignment. | Shares stories purposefully to support reflection. | Uses stories to empower and deepen learning. |
| Practical Application | Helps mentees bridge insight to real-world action. | Encourages general application of learning. | Co-develops strategies for real-world application. | Enables confident action in complex, real-life situations. |
Program Manager Competency Framework
| Foundation | Understanding and supporting core mentoring program operations and coordination. |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | Designing, managing, and optimizing mentoring programs aligned with organizational objectives. |
| Advanced | Leading strategic, scalable mentoring ecosystems with measurable organizational impact. |
Pillar 1: Reflective Practice
This pillar demonstrates self-awareness and a commitment to ongoing growth to enhance program effectiveness, professional integrity, and leadership capability.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Recognises personal leadership style, values, and behaviours and their impact on program delivery. | Identifies strengths, limitations, and leadership responsibilities. | Reflects on feedback and adapts leadership approach accordingly. | Demonstrates advanced self-awareness and models reflective leadership. |
| Self-Management | Regulates emotions, priorities, and workload to lead programs effectively. | Manages time, tasks, and basic operational pressures. | Adapts to complexity and balances multiple stakeholder demands. | Maintains composure in high-impact environments and leads through change. |
| Commitment to Growth | Proactively seeks learning to enhance program leadership capability. | Participates in required training and development opportunities. | Seeks feedback and applies learning to improve program outcomes. | Champions continuous improvement and mentors emerging program leaders. |
Pillar 2: Program Design & Delivery Excellence
This pillar applies structured, responsive approaches to design, implement, and sustain high-quality mentoring programs.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Design & Delivery | Plans, implements, and manages mentoring programs aligned to participant and organizational needs. | Understands mentoring program structures and supports setup and logistics. | Designs and manages mentoring initiatives aligned with organizational objectives. | Leads complex, multi-level mentoring programs integrated into talent, DEI, and leadership strategies. |
| Stakeholder & Relationship Management | Builds strong partnerships with mentors, mentees, sponsors, and partners. | Communicates program goals clearly and manages basic engagement. | Develops strong stakeholder relationships and resolves participant challenges. | Acts as a strategic connector, influencing senior leaders and embedding mentoring across the organization. |
| Operational Excellence | Ensures smooth coordination, quality assurance, and participant experience. | Supports scheduling, onboarding, and program coordination. | Improves processes based on feedback and operational data. | Designs scalable systems and ensures consistency across multiple programs. |
Pillar 3: Strategic Impact & Applied Leadership
This pillar focuses on translating mentoring programs into measurable organizational impact and long-term strategic value.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data, Evaluation & Improvement | Uses data to assess outcomes and drive continuous improvement. | Tracks participation and basic satisfaction metrics. | Analyzes data to evaluate effectiveness and identify enhancements. | Demonstrates ROI, establishes benchmarks, and informs organizational learning. |
| Strategic Leadership & Influence | Shapes the vision and scalability of mentoring across the organization. | Understands the strategic value of mentoring and supports communication of benefits. | Aligns mentoring strategy with HR, DEI, and talent pipelines. | Champions mentoring as a core organizational capability influencing culture and policy. |
| Sustainability & Growth | Ensures long-term viability and expansion of mentoring initiatives. | Supports continuity of existing programs. | Develops scalable models and secures ongoing stakeholder support. | Embeds mentoring into organizational strategy for sustained impact. |
Program Sponsor Competency Framework
| Foundation | Understanding the purpose, value, and governance role of mentoring within the organization. |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | Actively advocating for mentoring and aligning sponsorship with strategic priorities. |
| Advanced | Leading enterprise-wide mentoring culture and embedding mentoring as a strategic leadership capability. |
Pillar 1: Executive Sponsorship & Advocacy
This pillar reflects visible executive commitment, advocacy, and leadership role modelling to champion mentoring.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship & Advocacy | Champions the mentoring program and models visible executive commitment. | Understands the purpose and value of mentoring within the organization. Participates in sponsorship activities and communicates support. | Actively promotes the mentoring program across functions, sharing success stories and reinforcing participation. | Serves as a mentoring ambassador at the enterprise level, inspiring other leaders and embedding mentoring within leadership behaviors. |
| Influence & Role Modelling | Demonstrates leadership behaviors that reinforce mentoring values. | Models inclusive and supportive leadership behaviors. | Encourages leaders and managers to actively support mentoring initiatives. | Inspires systemic leadership commitment and sets enterprise-wide expectations for mentoring engagement. |
Pillar 2: Governance & Strategic Oversight
This pillar ensures mentoring programs operate with integrity, accountability, and alignment to organizational strategy.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance & Accountability | Ensures oversight, ethical standards, and resource alignment for mentoring success. | Understands governance structures and the sponsor’s accountability role. Supports adherence to program policies. | Contributes to program oversight, reviews progress reports, and provides resources or guidance as needed. | Establishes governance frameworks and accountability measures that sustain quality, consistency, and ethical practice organization-wide. |
| Strategic Alignment & Impact | Aligns mentoring outcomes with organizational strategy, talent development, and DEI goals. | Recognizes how mentoring contributes to employee growth and engagement. Supports alignment with business goals. | Monitors program metrics, ensures mentoring supports strategic priorities, and shares insights with leadership teams. | Integrates mentoring into enterprise strategies for talent, culture, and succession planning. Evaluates long-term organizational impact. |
Pillar 3: Culture & Legacy Building
This pillar focuses on embedding mentoring as a sustainable cultural and leadership practice.
| Skill Area | Description | Foundation | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culture & Legacy Building | Shapes and sustains a culture of mentoring and leadership development. | Encourages mentoring participation and models inclusive leadership behaviors. | Drives a culture of learning, inclusion, and collaboration through visible sponsorship and engagement. | Embeds mentoring as a legacy of organizational culture, ensuring sustainability, storytelling, and role modelling for future generations. |
| Sustainability & Continuity | Ensures long-term commitment and evolution of mentoring initiatives. | Supports continuation of mentoring programs. | Reinforces mentoring as an ongoing organizational priority. | Secures mentoring as a permanent, strategic capability embedded across leadership levels. |
| Sustainability & Growth | Ensures long-term viability and expansion of mentoring initiatives. | Supports continuity of existing programs. | Develops scalable models and secures ongoing stakeholder support. | Embeds mentoring into organizational strategy for sustained impact. |