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Ten ingredients for a successful mentoring relationship

  • Catherine Hodgson
  • Apr 15, 2023
  • 2 min read

Just like you need ingredients and a method to bake a successful cake, so you need to have a good recipe to establish a rewarding mentoring relationship.



1. Set ground rules: Establish clear expectations upfront. In your first meeting, which I call “the chemistry meeting”, both the mentor and mentee should discuss and have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and objectives for their mentoring relationship.


2. Establish purpose: Create a structured plan outlining goals, objectives, and milestones that will guide the mentoring relationship and help track progress. Ensure that goals are realistic, achievable and have some measure in them. They should be relevant to the mentee's personal and/or professional development.


3. Build trust: Build rapport and trust from the beginning of your mentoring relationship by being open, honest and vulnerable with each other. Ensure that all your meetings are completely confidential. This will create a safe and supportive environment for the mentee.


4. Meet regularly: Regular communication is crucial to the success of the mentoring relationship. Establish a regular meeting schedule by meeting every 4 – 6 weeks to keep the momentum going. Sessions more than 8 weeks apart can lead to the mentoring relationship fizzling out.


5. Ask for and provide feedback: Provide positive and constructive feedback to the mentee on their progress as well as areas for improvement. Also encourage your mentee to share their own feedback and thoughts on their mentoring journey.


6. Mentee drives the relationship: The mentee needs to take ownership of their mentoring journey by setting up meetings, preparing for each meeting and working on their action plan between sessions. As a mentor you will provide guidance, support, and resources that will help the mentee grow and develop in their personal and professional life.


7. Hold back on advice and rather share your experiences: Share relevant experiences, insights, successes, failures and best practices that will help your mentee learn and develop.


8. Be patient: Mentoring takes time so don’t expect things to get resolved within the first few meetings. Allow the mentee to learn and grow at their own pace, let them come up with their own solutions and provide support and guidance throughout the process.


9. Review progress: Review your relationship regularly and evaluate progress against the established goals and objectives. This will ensure that the mentoring relationship is on track and meeting expectations for both of you.


10. End your mentoring relationship: Every mentoring relationship comes to an end. Celebrate it, reflect on your learning and discuss next steps.

 
 
 

Kommentare


TESTIMONIALS

Catherine has created a world class mentoring product which has positively impacted the lives of so many. I love her facilitation style , always thoughtful and full of takeaways.

ALAN HEPBURN, MANAGING PARTNER, ASIA ABA, YPO MEMBER PAN ASIA

Catherine is insightful, extraordinarily emotionally intelligent, authentic and a gifted teacher. I have done almost 50 events for YPO and Catherine and I have led workshops at the same events across the globe. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to watch many gifted speakers. That said, Catherine is my favourite. I prioritize attending her workshops, not only because I learn so much from her, but simply because witnessing her teach makes my heart sing.

Catherine is a true servant leader who lives her purpose every day. Each time I've interacted with her I walk away with new knowledge and perspective that has been immediately relevant to my own work and life. Her workshops are practical, thought provoking and emotional. It doesn't get much better than that! 

ANNIE SARNBLAD, GLOBAL EXPERT IN MICROEXPRESSIONS, AUTHOR OF ANNIE SARNBLAD UNFILTERED: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN LOVE, LUST AND LIES. 

In 2020 I worked with Catherine on EMPOWR, a female mentor project. Catherine facilitated various workshops for both mentors and mentees as well as consulting us on our program. I can really recommend everyone to work with her. Not only does she have an extended skill set in mentorship and coaching, her presentation and workshop skills are impeccable. She made a fundamental impact on the lives and careers of our participants, after every workshop we received multiple emails from participants with five-star reviews to thank her. Catherine is a real pleasure to work with, she is one of a kind! 

ANOUK MOLL, INNOVATION MANAGER DIGITAL ASSETS, FOUNDER EMPOWR & BINFLUENCE

Catherine, virtually single handedly, created, designed, and launched the YPO Mentorship program and not only delivered the initial trainings, but ensured that execution and improvements were established and followed through on. She has a warm yet professional manner and is highly organized and diligent in everything she does. Her evolved self-awareness and high EQ stand out for me as the key behaviors behind her success.

Sean Magennis, past president, COO and YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) member

Catherine is a strategic leader who is never afraid of taking on a huge challenge. She has the gifts of empathy and compassion, combined with the ability of building broad coalitions around big ideas. We served together on an international board where I witnessed her resolve to create a mentoring culture and transform that organization forever.

PAUL LAMONTAGNE, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SDG ADVISOR, YPO MEMBER

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