Develop a Mentoring Action Plan
One of the most important sessions between a mentor and mentee is perhaps one of the easiest to curate. Simply asking a mentee what they want to get out of your time together can help identify professional goals and determine any overall outcomes. Together, you can then compile a list of wishes. When setting targets aim to be as specific as possible. Asking questions such as who, what, where, when, why and how, can help mentees to establish their ambitions and identify any time constraints or other restraints that can then be factored into these goals.Once goals have been identified, you can then work together to plan next steps. This typically involves reviewing potential solutions and hurdles to achieving these targets and planning to ensure these dreams become a reality. There should be criteria in place for measuring progress towards each goal and a set time frame for achievement. As your mentoring relationship develops, review your action plan by fine tuning goals, dropping any that are no longer relevant and, finally, adding new ones. For more information about the importance of scheduling in a mentoring setting, go to togetherplatform.com/blog.
Complete a Visual Realisation Task
Creative visualisation involves using your imagination to encourage goals and dreams to come true. Visualisation tasks can help employees to regain focus and, in some cases, attract success and prosperity by taking a moment to realise the potential of thought processes and actions. Ask your mentee to write down their thoughts and feelings about an imaginary scenario such as a perfect day at work and encourage them to answer questions about their surroundings. Who is around them? What do they look like? What are people saying?The power of the subconscious mind is particularly important in the competitive corporate world. Visualising ideal scenarios can sometimes offer insight into thought patterns. In turn, this can make taking action and changing habits easier. Above all, visualisation tasks can boost employee confidence by prompting a higher level of thinking outside of the tasks of everyday life. Some people even find that taking part in regular visualisation tasks can rapidly accelerate their motivation to succeed.
Networking
Networking is one of the most effective ways to change career and keep up with industry trends and research. In a mentoring relationship, there are opportunities for both mentors and mentees to introduce each other to contacts from their circle. Old colleagues and friends from professional networks can pass on knowledge and skills to provide an in-depth level of mentoring experience. Good networking can unite people on similar career paths, allowing the trade of advice and ensuring better management of challenges.Additionally, the contacts we keep are largely attributed to our personal and professional growth. Being introduced to new people from within your workplace or industry through a mentor can pave the way for new opportunities and resources. Not sure where to begin? Mentors can bring mentees along to key meetings such as important customer interactions or nonconfidential meetings with managers. In short, inviting a mentee to meetings provides an inside look at a side of the company that they might not normally get to see.
Keeping corporate mentoring sessions exciting is all about staying focused and finding new ways to set objectives through development activities. When carried out effectively, mentoring programs offer an effective learning experience that helps people to grow.
For a mentoring relationship to be a success, both parties must stay in regular contact. If you are looking for alternative ways for your employees to stay connected in the workplace and beyond, take a look at this blog post which highlights 10 ways to connect people in the digital age.