Page 31 - the SyI Quarterly

Education and Learning

Is mentoring right 6. Communicate your goal.
What does a successful mentoring relationship
outcome look like to you, and what specifically do
you want to learn? Clearly communicate what your
for you? goal is for the partnership and why you are sure that
your mentor can get you there.

7. Define your idea of success.
Clearly define what your idea of success looks like
for your career. A professional who has proven
success in their career will then be in a better
position to aid you towards your goals.
Prior to embarking on a mentoring relationship
there are a few key things to consider before 8. Are you open to receiving feedback and
determining if it is the right path for you. changing your behaviour
In order for you to move forward and improve your
1. Purpose career performance you may need to develop new
A good starting point is to consider why do you want attitudes and behaviours. You will need to be open
to have a mentor and what specific challenges are you to honest, constructive feedback and to take any
looking to address? The more carefully you consider agreed action.
what skills and experience you are looking for then the
better the mentoring match will be. 9. Are you prepared to commit the time to get
there?
During the first stage of the mentoring process, you The final consideration you need to make before
will be asked to complete a profile that will be used for committing to a mentoring relationship is whether
matching, and as part of this you will need to be clear on you have the time to commit to regular meetings
what skills, knowledge and expertise you are looking for. and to doing the actions in between meetings that
are required to move you towards achieving your
2. Develop a vision of the future you desire goal(s).
This will enable you to identify an appropriate mentor
who can help you achieve your desires. Having a vision Having a mentor is a bit like having a satellite
that you can work towards will help keep the relationship navigation system with you as you embark on your
purposeful and on track. journey to achieve your goals. They will guide you
along the way, help to correct you if you take a
3. Experience matters. wrong turning and will help you find the quickest,
Mentoring relationships usually allow the mentee to access an additional depth of knowledge which can easiest route to achieving your goals. But just like a
be transformational. Be clear on what type of experience will be beneficial for you. satellite navigation system, they won’t do the hard
work for you. You still need to be in the driving seat
4. Be specific on why you have selected your mentor. and making the final decision.
Explain why you have chosen a particular professional to be your mentor. The mentor is giving you their
time and attention so it is good to be able to share with them tangible and specific reasons why you Finally, mentors don’t have all the answers you
would like them to mentor you. need. You may still make a few mistakes, but
valuable experience can be gained when an answer
5. Seek support, not direction. is found by getting through a situation rather than
A good mentor is someone that can support you in achieving your goals. Whilst a mentor can help you by avoiding it.
to set those goals ultimately, they are your goals, so you need to set them to ensure they take you in the
direction you want to go. A good mentor can then help to lift you up and give you the tools you need to So, are you ready to be mentored? Click here to
succeed regardless of your path. get started.

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