How do you reciprocate and contribute to your strategic leadership mentor's learning and growth?

To reciprocate and contribute to strategic leadership mentor's growth, actively share insights and perspectives from your experiences, fostering mutual learning. Offer constructive feedback on their strategies, support their initiatives, and introduce them to new resources and networks. Showing appreciation involves expressing gratitude for their guidance, celebrating their successes, and acknowledging their impact on their development, thereby strengthening our professional relationship.

Mentorship is often a thankless job. You give of yourself. Then your mentees move on. The most rewarding mentorship experiences result in long term relationships, where you help each other over the course of the mentee's career.

It's a positive feedback loop and it implicitly acts as a signal to keep moving in the right direction. For a mentor, it works as an intrinsic motivator. Helping somebody and seeing it's working for the recipient adds to the motivation of keep doing it.

- Appreciate efforts put by the mentor - Give them a positive feedback in written form and a good rating - Thanks them for their support and send a testimonial

Contributing to your strategic leadership mentor’s growth begins with offering fresh perspectives and insights from your own experiences. Share innovative approaches or successes you've had, which might inspire new strategies or ideas for them. Engage in meaningful discussions where you challenge each other’s thinking, fostering mutual learning. Additionally, keep your mentor informed about industry trends or emerging opportunities, which can contribute to their strategic outlook. Remember, mentorship is a two-way street—by being proactive in adding value, you enhance the relationship and contribute to your mentor's continued growth.

- Reach out them in advance, don’t wait for them to reach out to you - Setup regular catchup sessions - Respond positively to feedback

Being proactive means taking the time to contact your mentors at a time that suits them - not you. Being selfless is the core essence of proactivity since it means putting others needs (e.g. learning) before your own. Be the person that you want them to be. The more prepared and engaged you are, the better the outcomes are likely to be.

I have mentored a number of great people over my career (and a few not so great ones too) ... key is that the mentee needs to own the process, the mentor should not need to chase the mentee to set up sessions or complete actions

It's a strategic move towards future-proofing your company in an AI-driven world. A proactive approach extends beyond mentorship to transform corporate strategy, ensuring not being just participants but leaders in the technological evolution. Don’t wait for the future to happen but shape it with foresight and action. Full commitment to continuous learning and adaptation will ensure that memthor not only navigates but thrives in the AI landscape, staying ahead of the curve and competitors.

Being proactive is the key to learn. Asking questions envisaging the future course of action and coming with a plan indicates your initiative and enthusiasm for learning and growing. This inspires the mentors also to invest on mentee and help them in their learning journey.

- Give contructive feedback in written or oral format - Mention what worked well and suggestions for future sessions - Be open to feedback from them

Everyone needs feedback. Knowing what you've done, rightly or wrong, is the only way we learn. Humans are hard wired to avoid difficult situations, particularly those that involve receiving news about one's performance. Help them to help you by giving them feedback.

Feedback is the most vital component for learning or improving any skill, without it progress will be stifled. Make sure to proactive the art o giving feedback regularly and ensure feedback is based on truth with genuine examples that can be discussed.

Feedback is good and what if it is feedforward? Feed to move forward is what is needed and benefits both parties. Constructive talk and feedback to mentors also help them to develop. what works well for both should be spoken and discussed with an open mind.

While giving feedback is indeed crucial for mutual growth, it’s essential to recognize that not all mentors are receptive to criticism, especially if it challenges their established methods. This dynamic can create a power imbalance that stifles open dialogue. Instead of solely focusing on feedback, consider fostering a culture of co-learning where both parties actively engage in shared experiences and reflections. This approach not only democratizes the learning process but also encourages mentors to embrace vulnerability, ultimately enriching the mentoring relationship.

Bring new ideas, research findings, and innovative practices to your mentor. Sharing articles, books, and case studies that you've found insightful can spark valuable discussions and mutual learning. Given your unique position in your specific industry, share insights about emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities.

- Suggest books, articles and podcasts for their learnings - Connect them with experts in their areas of interest - Invite them to meet ups and community events in their areas of interests

As you grow and develop you are more likely to encounter different situations that your mentor hasn't. This means that you'll gain different knowledge to theirs that could help frame their thinking when they give advice to you. High performing teams share resources (e.g. knowledge) to continuously improve and, ultimately, achieve better outcomes.

Sharing networks is a great way to grow both mentor and mentee. Our professional networks are often a great source of knowledge and support. Whilst sharing networks and connections remember that being in a network is being part of a community and that you need to contribute to the community as well as benefit from it!

While sharing resources is undoubtedly valuable, it raises an intriguing question: are we merely reinforcing existing knowledge, or are we challenging our mentors to think differently? True growth often comes from discomfort and disruption. Instead of just providing familiar resources, consider introducing your mentor to unconventional ideas or perspectives that might challenge their assumptions. This approach not only enriches their learning but also fosters a dynamic exchange that can lead to innovative thinking and strategic breakthroughs. Embracing discomfort can be a catalyst for profound growth in leadership.

Offer thoughtful feedback on your mentor’s guidance and approach, highlighting what is particularly effective and suggesting areas for adjustment. Engaging in constructive debates can stimulate critical thinking and deepen understanding for both of you. Take an active interest in your mentor’s professional goals and aspirations. Offer your support, whether it’s assisting with research, contributing to projects, or participating in initiatives they lead.

- Respectfully challenge their views by offering them new perspectives - Suggest new ideas and ask them to be open to others opinions - Be empathetic with their struggles and don’t judge them just because they are successful

Don't be afraid to challenge your mentor's views. This relationship does not confer one of the hierarchical 'student/master'. Rather, it is a symbiosis of likeminded individuals who are helping each other grow by being open and honest.

Part of the reciprocal nature of mentoring is to ensure that you are taking care of one another. Check in on topics such as wellbeing from time to time as well as the more traditional "work" elements.

Challenging and supporting a mentor is indeed crucial, but it’s essential to recognize that not all mentors may welcome this dynamic. Some may perceive challenges as threats rather than opportunities for growth. This can create a tension that stifles open dialogue. Therefore, it's vital to cultivate a safe space for these interactions, ensuring that challenges are framed constructively. Additionally, while celebrating successes is important, it’s equally critical to engage in candid discussions about failures, as these often provide the richest learning experiences. Balancing support with constructive challenge can lead to deeper, more transformative mentorship relationships.

The very best professionals never stop learning. If a role is taken seriously then every day is a school day. You can guarantee that in a mentor - mentee relationship, especially across generations, there is a lot either party can learn from the other. Things like table top exercises, incident investigations, event planning and problem solving principals can reveal a huge amount about the way someone thinks, rather that the sometimes quite uniform way that they may have been educated. The greatest value often comes from the discovery of the unusual solution to a long considered problem and mentor or mentee can be the source of that fresh thinking. I also think that shared participation in CPD can be exceedingly beneficial.

Propose working on a project together that aligns with both your development goals and your mentor’s interests. Identify conferences, webinars, or workshops that are relevant to your mutual interests. Set goals to explore an area of mutual interest through various means—reading, experimentation, or discussion—and share your learnings regularly.

- Collaborate together on joint projects in areas of common interest - Learn from each other - Share experiences and lessons learnt on projects

When you are a mentee, there generally will be an opportunity to partner with your mentor. You can reverse-mentor them by helping them learn a new platform/technology. In that same scenario they may offer additional insights about said platform. Bidirectional communication is the key to unlocking the full potential of a mentorship.

The concept of "learning together" resonates with me. One of the best ways you can contribute is by actively participating in your mentor's projects. This turns you into a 'Live Case Study,' allowing your mentor to see how their guidance is being implemented in real time. Share with them any of your innovative ideas as this might help solve a puzzle they're working on. Also, give immediate feedback as you collaborate. Mentors value this as it offers real-time insights. Sometimes they're too close to a project to see clearly; & your fresh eyes can offer a needed reality check. Lastly, apply your mentor's teachings in real-world situations. It’s the one of the best ways to show their advice isn’t just theoretical, but practically effective.

Para contribuir al aprendizaje de tu mentor en liderazgo estratégico, es fundamental mantener una comunicación abierta y compartir retroalimentación constructiva. Puedes aprovechar las oportunidades para reflexionar juntos sobre los desafíos y logros, aportando nuevas perspectivas que fortalezcan su enfoque. Al trabajar de manera colaborativa, ambos pueden seguir creciendo. Además, reconocer y celebrar los logros de tu mentor también es clave. Al mismo tiempo, estar dispuesto a aprender de ellos, incluso cuando se cometen errores, fomenta un ambiente de confianza mutua que favorece el crecimiento continuo. El liderazgo estratégico es un viaje compartido.

Implement their Advice: The best way to show your mentor that you value their advice is to put it into action. When you succeed, they succeed. Show them that you take their guidance seriously and are dedicated to improving and growing.

Keep Them Updated: Regularly update your mentor on your progress and achievements. It shows them the impact of their guidance and gives them a sense of fulfillment. This can be a source of learning and motivation for them.

This is a process of mutual learning. Reciprocal mentoring refers to the bonding of two parties. Unlike other mentors, such as learning mentors, in reciprocal mentoring, both parties act as mentors and mentees. They collaborate and share their knowledge and skills. I have experience in business partnerships, good partners play a similar role of mentor and mentee to create value in business and better partnerships.