How We Work
THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH TO MENTORING
Every person is different. Every situation is different. The mentoring relationship should reflect that.
There is no fixed programme that everyone has to follow. At the beginning, we agree what you want to explore, what you would like to achieve and what would make the mentoring valuable for you.
The focus may be a specific question, a difficult decision, a period of change or a broader area of your personal development. We shape the way we work around what you need and can adjust it as your situation develops.
What matters is that the mentoring remains relevant to where you are and what you need at that point in your life.
THE INITIAL SESSION
The Initial Session is an opportunity to talk about what brings you here, what you would like to explore and what you would like to get from the process.
It is also an opportunity for you to experience how I work, ask questions and decide whether I am the right mentor for you.
Together, we can explore whether mentoring is the right form of support for you and, where relevant, whether individual or group mentoring is the more appropriate way to begin.
The Initial Session is not about having everything figured out before we start. You do not need to know exactly what you need.
BEFORE THE INITIAL SESSION
Before the Initial Session, I will ask you to complete a short questionnaire.
It helps me understand what brings you to mentoring, what you would like to explore and anything you would like me to know before we meet.
You do not need to prepare a solution or have everything figured out. The purpose is simply to give us a useful starting point for our conversation.
FROM CONVERSATION TO MENTORING
The Initial Session may be enough to help you clarify what you want to do next. If we both feel that mentoring could be valuable, we can agree how to continue.
We will clarify the focus, the practical arrangements and the way we would like to work together.
The mentoring may begin with a specific question, decision or situation, or with a broader area of development that you would like to explore.
There is no obligation to continue simply because you have had an Initial Session. The relationship should begin because it feels useful and appropriate for both of us.
INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP MENTORING
There are two ways to work with me through Mentoring.care.
INDIVIDUAL MENTORING
Individual mentoring gives you a private, one to one space focused entirely on your own questions, decisions, challenges and development.
GROUP MENTORING
Group mentoring brings people together around a shared theme or area of interest. It creates an opportunity to explore a topic with others, hear different perspectives and learn through conversation.
You do not have to share anything you would rather keep private.
If you later feel that you would like to explore your own situation more deeply, individual mentoring can be a natural next step.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
LISTEN
We start by understanding what is happening, what matters to you and what you want to explore.
EXPLORE
We look at the situation from different perspectives, examine what is really at stake and explore possibilities.
CHALLENGE
I challenge assumptions, ask questions and offer different perspectives when they can help you see something differently.
ADVANCE
We turn what we discover into meaningful progress, whether that means a decision, a new approach, a change in perspective or a next step.
The balance between listening, exploring, challenging and advancing will be different for every person and every situation.
THREE APPROACHES
My work can draw on three complementary approaches: mentoring, coaching and advisory.
MENTORING
I can bring relevant experience, knowledge and perspectives into the conversation when they can help you explore a situation, understand possibilities or consider a different approach.
COACHING
I can use questions, reflection and challenge to help you examine your own thinking, broaden your awareness and find your own answers.
ADVISORY
Where it is useful, I can offer a more direct perspective based on my experience and knowledge, particularly when you are looking for insight into a specific question or situation.
Each session has one clear approach. This keeps the purpose of the conversation clear and respects the principles of the methodology being used.
THE FORMAT
Mentoring is preferably conducted online, but can also take place in person where appropriate.
The format is agreed when we decide how to continue and can be adjusted if circumstances change.
FREQUENCY AND DURATION
There is no fixed schedule for mentoring. Sessions may take place weekly, every two weeks, monthly or at another frequency that makes sense for the work we are doing together.
The length of each session can also vary depending on what we are exploring and what is useful at that stage.
Frequency and duration can be reviewed and adjusted as the mentoring develops.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Our mentoring conversations are confidential. What you share with me remains private and is not shared with others.
You decide what you want to share. You do not have to share anything you would rather keep private.
Confidentiality is part of the way we work together and applies throughout the mentoring relationship.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
Mentoring does not end when a session ends. Sometimes the most useful thinking happens afterwards.
Between sessions, you may want to reflect on something we discussed, observe what is happening, try a different approach or simply give an idea time to settle.
There is no required homework. What you do between sessions depends on what is useful for you and what we are exploring together.
A PROCESS THAT CAN EVOLVE
Mentoring can evolve as you work through what matters to you.
The question or situation you bring at the beginning may not remain the most important one. As you gain clarity or circumstances change, new questions may emerge and priorities may shift.
We can review the focus of our work together and adjust it when it makes sense. What matters is that the mentoring continues to be relevant to where you are and what you want to explore.
WHEN THE MENTORING ENDS
Mentoring does not have to continue indefinitely. It may come to an end when you feel that you have achieved what you wanted from the relationship, when your priorities have changed or when you feel ready to move forward independently.
We can review this together as the mentoring develops and agree when the time is right to conclude our work.
The end of mentoring is not the end of your development. It is simply the point at which our work together has reached its natural conclusion.