Decision Quality Mentorship Program: A Professional Guide

1. Program Introduction & Benefits

This program is a structured, evidence-based 6-month mentoring initiative designed to elevate the decision-making capabilities of professionals. It integrates proven methodologies—specifically the 70-20-10 model for learning architecture, the GROW model for coaching conversations, and Action Learning principles—to ensure improvement is grounded in real work. The program positions mentors as learning partners who provide critical feedback and structured reflection, moving beyond advice-giving to foster deeper analytical thinking and professional judgment.

Strategic Benefits for Professionals:

1. Enhanced Decision Quality: Participants will systematically improve the clarity, data-driven nature, and stakeholder consideration of their professional decisions, leading to more effective and impactful outcomes.
2. Increased Reflective Practice: The program instills habits of deliberate reflection and after-action review, building a sustainable skill for continuous professional self-improvement.
3. Expanded Professional Network: The mentoring relationship provides access to experienced guidance, diverse perspectives, and a trusted sounding board for complex challenges.
4. Reduced Cognitive Bias in Work: Through structured frameworks and mentor feedback, participants will learn to identify and mitigate common decision-making biases like overconfidence and confirmation bias.
5. Greater Leadership Confidence: By mastering a personal decision-making "playbook" and receiving supportive feedback, professionals gain confidence in leading and communicating complex decisions.

2. Program Expansion Strategy

Evaluation: This is a Mentorship program. The provided research data already expertly integrates a coaching methodology (GROW) within the mentoring framework. Therefore, a separate supplemental layer is not required. The program's design successfully blends the developmental, relationship-focused nature of mentoring with the structured, goal-oriented conversation techniques of coaching to directly achieve the goal of improving decision-making quality.

3. Implementation Roadmap

Launch Phase (Pre-Program to Month 1)

1. Stakeholder Alignment: Secure leadership buy-in and communicate program goals to target departments.
2. Participant & Mentor Recruitment: Identify and enroll professionals (mentees) and experienced leaders (mentors) based on clear criteria.
3. Matching Process: Use a structured matching system aligning mentee decision-making goals with mentor expertise and style.
4. Kick-off & Training:
   • Conduct a joint orientation session outlining program structure, expectations, and the GROW model.
   • Deliver separate foundational training: Mentors on effective feedback and developmental mentoring; Mentees on initial self-assessment and goal setting.
5. Tool Deployment: Roll out the selected program software (see Section 4) and provide user training.
6. Baseline Measurement: Administer initial decision-quality self-assessments and manager ratings.

Tracking & Operations (Months 1-6)

1. Session Scheduling & Logging: Use program software to facilitate and track the scheduling of monthly mentor-mentee sessions. Encourage logging of session focus and outcomes.
2. Content Delivery: Roll out the core modules (see Research Data) via the LMS or scheduled workshops, aligning content with program milestones.
3. Progress Check-ins: Program administrators conduct light-touch check-ins with pairs at the end of Months 1 and 3 to address challenges.
4. Mid-Point Review: Administer a pulse survey and guide participants through the "decision audit" milestone (Month 3-4).
5. Community Support: Foster peer learning by using an internal social network for sharing insights, challenges, and resources related to decision frameworks.

Success Measurement

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Individual Change: Pre/post comparison of self-rated and manager-rated decision quality scores. Completion rate of personal decision playbooks.
• Program Activity: Percentage of planned mentoring sessions completed. Participant satisfaction scores (Net Promoter Score or Likert-scale surveys).
• Behavioral Evidence: Number of documented decision logs/case studies submitted. Qualitative feedback from mentors on observed growth in mentee reasoning.

Feedback Mechanisms:

• Surveys: Deployed at kick-off (baseline), midpoint (Month 3), and program conclusion.
• Focus Groups: Conduct selective interviews post-program to gather narrative feedback and case studies.
• Manager Check-ins: Brief surveys or conversations with mentees' managers at program end to gather observational feedback.

4. Approved Tools List

The most relevant tools for this program, selected from the approved list, are:

1. Mentorship Software: Primary Tool. This is non-negotiable for efficient administration. It will be used for mentor-mentee matching, scheduling session logistics, providing a secure communication channel, tracking meeting frequency, and housing program resources and agreements.
2. LMS (Learning Management System): Essential for Content Delivery. This will host the core curriculum modules (e.g., video tutorials on decision frameworks, readings on cognitive bias), track completion of mandatory training for mentors and mentees, and house reflective exercises and templates (e.g., decision journal, playbook template).
3. Internal Social Network: Recommended for Community Building. A dedicated group or forum will facilitate peer support beyond the 1:1 pairing. It allows participants to pose questions, share resources, and discuss common decision-making challenges, enriching the "20%" social learning component.
4. Personality Test: Optional for Enhanced Self-Awareness. A tool like a decision-style assessment (not a broad personality test) could be integrated into the "Foundation & Self-Awareness" module to help participants understand their innate tendencies (e.g., intuitive vs. analytical) and related blind spots.

Justification: Mentorship Software and an LMS form the operational and pedagogical backbone. The Internal Social Network supports the collaborative learning model. A focused Personality/Decision-Style Test aligns directly with the program's goal of increasing self-awareness to improve decision quality.

5. Resource & Content Library

Training Content for Mentors

• Guide: "The Developmental Mentor: Moving from Advisor to Thinking Partner"
• Video Series: "Facilitating GROW Model Conversations for Complex Decisions"
• Article: "Giving Effective Feedback on Decision-Making Processes"
• Toolkit: "Questions to Surface Assumptions and Mitigate Bias"
• Guide: "Managing the Mentoring Relationship: Setting Boundaries and Expectations"
• Case Studies: Examples of mentoring conversations that improved decision outcomes.

Training Content for Mentees

• Workshop: "Foundations of Professional Decision-Making: Types, Traps, and Triumphs"
• Interactive Module: "Conducting Your Personal Decision-Making Baseline Assessment"
• Guide: "Setting Powerful Decision-Focused Goals Using the GROW Model"
• Template: "The Decision Journal: A Template for Structured Reflection"
• Video Tutorials: "Practical Frameworks: Pre-Mortem, Criteria Matrix, Stakeholder Mapping"
• Workbook: "Building Your Personal Decision-Making Playbook"