When you invest your time in being a mentee you will be rewarded with accelerated learning and experiences from your mentor. You will learn from and avoid the mistakes that they may have made, learn about your industry, meet great people, form valuable relatio hi and be able to mentor someone in your future. If your organisation offers a mentoring program, sign up and get involved. If there i t a formal mentoring program, suggest one or identify people you would like to learn from and a roach them about mentoring you. If you are going to a roach someone about being your mentor make sure you present yourself profe ionally and show your pro ective mentor that you are serious and committed by having a mentoring plan in place.
When I chose to become a profe ional eaker I sought out the most talented Australian eaker I could find. He was accomplished, fantastic presenter, had won many client and industry awards and ran a profitable eaking busine . I asked him to mentor me and for 12 months I followed him everywhere. I went to client meetings, sold books for him at the back of the room when he presented, helped him on projects, worked in his office, paid for interstate flights to get uninterrupted discu io during travel time. ending 12 months with him accelerated my eaking career in an astronomical way, helped me form valuable relatio hi and also lead to my next exciting career move. I was a dedicated mentee and would do anything to serve and learn.
Have a written agreed guideline. Make an agreement between both parties of the re o ibilities and commitments of both parties.
Schedule for 6 months only. This gives you both an agreed timeframe to achieve effective communication and sharing of experience.
Meet monthly. Make a regular time each month for one hour to meet. As the mentee you must fit in with the mentors schedule.
Set an agenda. Advise your mentor what you would like to discu , what challenges you have been facing and any questio you may have. To a ist you develop this agenda you may like to keep the list on going through the month so you are very prepared for your meeting.
If cant meet in person, book a teleconference. You dont need to meet face to face (e ecially if your mentor is busy). You should still have an agenda and clear outcomes of what you want from the meeting.
Meet in a location that suits the mentor. Find locatio they enjoy being in i.e. the favourite coffee shop, airport lounges or the beach. Make an effort to drive or commute to the location that fits in with their schedule.
Do your homework. Your mentor might give you activities to try or challenges for the next month. Always complete these tasks and report back to your mentor on your succe . Dont waste your mentors time or advice.
Promote your mentor to others. If you know of busine es or o ortunities for your mentor, always let others know about their skills, achievements and succe .
Thank your mentor with the gift of service. You could a ist them with a project, help in their busine unit, driving them to an event, and take them to the airport. Being a good mentee is all about serving your mentor to create o ortunities to draw from their experience.
Do your homework on your mentor. Find out what they like to listen to, what books they like to read, movies they enjoy, family details. This hel you re ond to them and also thank them in ways that are important to them.
Maintain confidentiality. Keep all relevant discu io between you and your mentor private. Never disclose to others your discu io .
Make time. Find o ortunities to su ort your mentor and also debrief conversatio . If they are driving for long periods of time, keep them company (either face to face or on the phone), if they are flying interstate for the day, go with them and use the uninterrupted time on the plane to gain wisdom and a istance.
Avoid contacting your mentor outside of agreed times. If you both agree you will meet once a month, save all of your discu io for this monthly meeting. If you need to contact them try SMS me aging or email so you dont interrupt their daily activities.
Try to outdo your mentor. Learn from their experiences, view their templates but always try and develop your own work even better than theirs. If you are succe ful, you could share your new templates or ideas with them so you can add value to their busine by improving on their ideas or systems.
Never ask your mentor What can I do for you? Always be creative and find ways to a ist them without being asked. Offer to do some data entry in their office, offer to pick them up from the airport i tead of them taking a cab, and offer to help recruit staff for their busine find ways to help them without expecting anything in return.
Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they end their time and energy and where they focus their attention Neen hel people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic eaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demo trates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, se e of fun and uncommon common-se e, Neen delivers a powerful le on in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/
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