The Challenge

As part of its People Modernization initiative, the City of Ottawa’s Information Technology division needed to develop mentoring skills among its senior employees. Seeking to leverage our expertise in leadership development, they asked 4Forward to develop and deliver a mentoring skills workshop.

“4Forward demonstrated deep understanding of the philosophy and methods of advanced leadership and management development. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from them about current best practices in leadership development. I found the team responsive, proactive, willing to listen to suggestions, and keen to create materials that were well adapted to our needs.“

Danielle Baker, Chief Human Resources Officer,  
Ontario Northland

The Process

We wanted to support the City’s initiative by providing an engaging learning experience with “aha” moments for participants. Pulling from our extensive training library, we customized the training content to meet the City’s unique needs. The workshop was designed to engage senior IT managers and provide opportunities to learn and practice mentoring skills.

The Result

Workshop participants gained practical new mentoring skills and knowledge in five key areas:

• Benefits of mentoring
• Qualities of a mentor
• Responsibilities of a mentor
• Listening skills
• Questioning skills

Each participant was also tasked with making an action plan to initiate a new mentoring relationship.

Project Snapshot

The City of Ottawa provides a wide range of services to residents of and visitors to Canada’s capital, including planning, roads, recreation, transit, garbage and recycling, family and social services, arts and heritage events, and others.

Industry
Government

Services
Custom Training, Needs Analysis, Workshop Delivery

Skills Demonstrated
Facilitation, Instructional Design