How do you structure mentoring sessions for maximum growth?

Mentoring is a powerful way to develop your leadership skills and help others grow in their careers. But how do you structure mentoring sessions for maximum growth? Here are some tips to make the most of your mentoring relationships.

1 Set clear goals

Before you start mentoring, you and your mentee should agree on what you want to achieve from the sessions. What are the specific skills, knowledge, or behaviors that you want to develop or improve? How will you measure your progress and success? How often and how long will you meet? Having clear and realistic goals will help you focus your sessions and track your outcomes.

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Charusmitha Rao

Director - Global Talent Development | ID&E champion | LeanIn-Bangalore Leadership Team | 2019-India HR 40under40🏆 | 2020-Zinnov Next Gen Woman Leader 🏆| ICF certified Coach | Student of social psychology(TA)
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Ask these questions: What is your expectation from me as a mentee? How can I prepare well for a meeting with you? What would you like to see me do to show progress? What would make this a success for you?

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Paul Eder, PhD

I Lead You to New Insights | Strategy Consulting, Artificial Intelligence, & Data Innovation | Author of FIRESTARTERS
(edited)
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Part of the equation involves the mentor ACCURATELY describing how they can help the mentee. Mentors don't know anything, and they must work with mentees to establish reasonable expectations.

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2 Prepare and plan

Once you have your goals, you should prepare and plan for each session. As a mentor, you should review your mentee's strengths, challenges, and feedback, and think of ways to support, challenge, and inspire them. As a mentee, you should identify your learning needs, questions, and expectations, and share them with your mentor. You should also agree on an agenda, a format, and a mode of communication for each session.

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Charusmitha Rao

Director - Global Talent Development | ID&E champion | LeanIn-Bangalore Leadership Team | 2019-India HR 40under40🏆 | 2020-Zinnov Next Gen Woman Leader 🏆| ICF certified Coach | Student of social psychology(TA)
(edited)
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You can structure your conversations based on the below 4 themes 1. Stories – Ask for career stories, lessons learned, challenges, approaches and insights connected to your goal. 2. Situations – Get situational advice to address immediate, specific concerns at work For example: What could I have done differently in situation ‘X’ OR How can I approach situation 'X'? 3. Skills – Ask for tools and ideas to develop a particular skill. Ask how they became competent in that skill? How did they practice it? What challenges did they face? How did they overcome it? 4. Self-awareness – Ask for constructive feedback about your personal brand, the way other perceive you, your strengths, blind spots and development areas.

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Bruna de Guimarães

Fractional CPO & COO | Advisor for SaaS companies | Product Expert | Ex-Pipedrive
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It is important to understand who you are mentoring, what type of relationship do you have with this person, what kind of personality does this person have. What works for 1 is not going to work for everyone else.

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3 Ask and listen

During the sessions, you should use open-ended questions and active listening to create a dialogue and a rapport with your mentee. Asking questions will help you understand your mentee's perspective, needs, and goals, and encourage them to reflect and think critically. Listening will help you show empathy, respect, and interest, and build trust and rapport. You should also give and receive feedback, praise, and constructive criticism, and acknowledge your mentee's achievements and challenges.

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Bruna de Guimarães

Fractional CPO & COO | Advisor for SaaS companies | Product Expert | Ex-Pipedrive
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What is the goal of the mentee? Have you understood what do they need from you? Can you actually help them get to their end goal? Have constant feedback chats and let your mentee speak - understand them. Timelines with progress, notes and exchange of thoughts help you achieve those milestones and progress

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4 Share and learn

Another key aspect of mentoring sessions is sharing and learning from each other's experiences, insights, and resources. As a mentor, you should share your stories, tips, and advice, and offer guidance, support, and direction. As a mentee, you should share your challenges, successes, and learnings, and seek feedback, suggestions, and recommendations. You should also explore different perspectives, ideas, and options, and learn from each other's mistakes and best practices.

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5 Apply and follow up

The last step of mentoring sessions is applying and following up on what you learned and agreed on. As a mentee, you should take action on your goals, tasks, and plans, and practice your new skills, knowledge, or behaviors. As a mentor, you should monitor your mentee's progress, provide ongoing support and encouragement, and celebrate their achievements. You should also follow up with each other between sessions, review your goals and outcomes, and adjust your approach as needed.

Mentoring sessions can be a rewarding and enriching experience for both mentors and mentees. By following these tips, you can structure your sessions for maximum growth and impact.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you structure mentoring sessions for maximum growth?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Set clear goals

2 Prepare and plan

3 Ask and listen

4 Share and learn

5 Apply and follow up

6 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development

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How do you structure mentoring sessions for maximum growth?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Set clear goals

2 Prepare and plan

3 Ask and listen

4 Share and learn

5 Apply and follow up

6 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development

Rate this article

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