Kansas WISE Mentoring Program FAQs
Kansas WISE is a diverse group of people dedicated to the support of women working for the State of Kansas. Goals include:
- Support networks among members across agencies
- Mentoring opportunities
- Career and personal development
- Recognition of women’s achievements
- Fulfillment of leadership/advancement potential
- Mental and physical wellness
The Kansas WISE Mentoring Program’s mission is to empower, encourage, inspire and support Women In State Employment through mentorship. The program’s vision is to develop and establish opportunities, guidelines and processes that will provide mentoring support for Women In State Employment.
Objectives:
- Assist with professional and personal goal setting
- Encourage character development
- Build confidence
- Develop emotional intelligence and communication skills
- Support employee retention
While there are many benefits to participating in a mentorship program, here are just a few:
- Mentoring will boost your interpersonal skills
- Strengthen your skills and knowledge
- Gain new perspectives
- Staff retention
Please take some time to read the following article, How Mentoring in the Workplace Can Strengthen Your Company, By Robert Half, which provides great information on the benefits of mentoring in the workplace.
Yes, the program is only available to State of Kansas employees.
We recommend a minimum of six (6) engagements. Each engagement should be 30 minutes to one hour in length.
Yes, all activities should be conducted during normal working hours. Any activities conducted outside of normal working hours must be approved by supervisors of both the mentor and mentee.
Yes. You must be a State of Kansas employee, obtain supervisor approval to participate, commit to a minimum of six engagements and be willing to be responsible for your own growth and development.
Yes. You must be a State of Kansas employee, obtain supervisor approval to participate, commit to a minimum of six engagements and be willing to work with your mentee on personal and/or professional goals.
It is important that Kansas WISE mentoring engagements are safe and productive for both the mentor and mentee. To ensure everyone understands their responsibilities to the program and one another, a Disclosure of Information must be acknowledged prior to beginning the mentorship program. This disclosure can be found in the Mentor Toolkit.
Kansas WISE has developed a Mentoring Program Toolkit, which contains information and resources needed for a successful mentorship engagement.
The Kansas Wise Mentoring Sub-committee is available by email at: WISEMentoring@ks.gov. In addition, Kansas WISE events dedicated to supporting Women In State Employment are great opportunities for State of Kansas employees to receive support and guidance.
The program offers the following type of activities:
- 1:1 mentorship: Traditional model of mentoring where one mentor is paired with one mentee.
- Group mentoring: One mentor meets with a group of mentees (5-7)
- Peer mentoring: Mentorship between employees in an organization to foster knowledge and skills transfer.
- Bring your own mentor: Mentee identifies a mentor and asks them to participate in the program.
- Special mentoring events.
Matches are made based upon information, such as mentoring preferences, focus areas and strengths, submitted with each application.
Once partners are matched, the mentor will connect with their mentee(s) to get the partnership started. The mentor will provide the mentee with a Mentee Guide to help set the mentee up for a successful partnership.
For meaningful communication to be made, both the mentee and the mentor should agree on meeting details. They can be conducted via phone, in person or video chat. In person meetings should be conducted at the discretion of both the mentee/mentor. Communicate using your work issued email/phone/computer. Additional details will be provided in the Disclosure of Information agreement.
The mentorship ends after the six engagements; however, both participants may reapply for additional sessions. If you’d like to maintain the current partnership, both the Mentor and the Mentee should select the Bring Your Own Mentor as your preference in the application.
Training is generally delivered according to a predetermined curriculum, with the trainee carrying the burden of meeting the curriculum's deliverables. Mentoring is a more customized activity, that is Mentee-driven and focuses on the mentee's needs and desires. In addition, the role of Mentor may be to serve as a "role model," whereas the role of a trainer is generally to deliver specific content without having a "partnership" with the trainee.
You may reapply by submitting a new application.
Kansas WISE has developed a Mentor Toolkit which contains information and resources needed for a successful mentorship engagement. The mentor will provide the Mentee Guide and the beginning of their mentoring partnership.
