Working Together
THE INITIAL SESSION
The Initial Session is where we start to understand what you need and whether mentoring is the right way to support you.
We talk about your situation, the challenges you are facing and what you would like to achieve.
I also explain how I work and what you can expect from a mentoring relationship.
Most importantly, we explore whether there is the right fit between us.
The Initial Session is also an opportunity for you to decide whether I am the right mentor for you.
BEFORE THE INITIAL SESSION
Before the Initial Session, I will ask you to complete a short questionnaire.
It helps me understand your context, your expectations and what you would like to explore before we meet.
Please return it at least 24 hours before the session.
FROM CONVERSATION TO ENGAGEMENT
If we decide that mentoring is the right fit, we define the engagement together.
Based on our conversation, I prepare a tailored proposal covering the focus of the mentoring, the objectives, the number and length of sessions, the expected frequency and the investment required.
Where appropriate, payment options can also be included.
WHO IS INVOLVED?
MENTEE
The mentee is the person at the centre of the mentoring relationship.
You bring your challenges, questions and goals to the relationship, take an active role in the conversations and take ownership of your development and decisions.
MENTOR
My responsibility is to create and maintain the professional mentoring relationship.
I bring experience, perspective, questioning, challenge and support to help you reflect, develop your capabilities and move forward with greater confidence and independence.
SPONSOR
The sponsor is the person who initiates, commissions or represents the mentoring engagement on behalf of the organisation.
The sponsor helps establish the purpose and organisational context of the engagement and may be involved in agreeing objectives, reviewing progress and considering next steps.
The sponsor does not direct the mentoring conversations. The boundaries of their involvement and the information that may be shared with them are agreed before the engagement begins.
STAKEHOLDER
The stakeholder is anyone with a relevant interest in the mentoring engagement or its outcomes.
This may include a senior leader, HR representative, line manager, board member or another person connected to the mentee's development or the organisation's objectives.
Stakeholder involvement is agreed according to the needs of the engagement. Their interest does not change the fact that the mentoring relationship itself is built around the mentee's development.
A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANISATION
Executive mentoring may be initiated and funded by a company because it sees value in developing a leader or future leader.
The organisation's interest is in meaningful development and the value created through the engagement. The mentoring relationship itself, however, remains centred on the mentee.
The roles, expectations and boundaries between the mentee, mentor, sponsor and stakeholders are clarified before the engagement begins.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
A good mentoring relationship requires commitment from both sides.
We respect each other's time, come prepared and create the conditions for focused conversations.
During online sessions, this means being present, using the camera where possible and minimising interruptions.
It also means being open, honest and willing to challenge our thinking.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
The work does not necessarily stop when the session ends.
Depending on what we agree, you may have something to reflect on, prepare or apply before our next conversation.
REVIEWING THE ENGAGEMENT
We review the mentoring relationship as we go.
We look at what is working, what is changing and whether the focus still reflects what you need.
The engagement can be adjusted when your circumstances or priorities change.
WHEN THE MENTORING ENDS
Mentoring should have a purpose, a direction and, eventually, a point of completion.
When the objectives have been achieved, the priorities have changed or you have developed the confidence and capability to continue independently, we can bring the mentoring engagement to a close.
The goal is not to keep the relationship going. The goal is to make it valuable for as long as it is needed.