Mentoring Tips for Mentors: How to Prepare for Your First Meeting With Your Mentee?
How exciting! You have been matched with a mentee and are now getting your first meeting.
We have created a short checklist for you.
- Try to collect information prior to the meeting
- If possible, meet in person for the first meeting
- Take time to get to know each other
- Define your roles, goals, and expectations
- Sign off on your mentoring agreement
- Determine the logistics
- Work on a development plan
- Discuss how you will give and receive feedback
- Discuss development activities and how you will measure
- success
- Discuss career development objectives
- Make an action plan
Getting Ready
- Review the mentee's LinkedIn profile and mentoring objective
- Reflect on how you will introduce yourself to your mentee
- Check out SWOT or GROW models to frame your mentee's development journey
- Leave your day-to-day activities behind.
Questions To Simmer On
- What kind of assistance can you provide to your mentee?
- Where were you physically and mentally in your mentee's age or work stage?
- What kind of meetings will you have together?
- How often will you meet?
- Where will you meet?
- What are the key factors you believe are important for a successful mentor-mentee relationship?
- Think about what the basic principles are for you in the mentoring relationship.
- Think about how you find meaning in the mentoring process.
- Think about what you might have in common and differing aspects. These conversations help initiate and strengthen the relationship.
- Think about what subjects you can experience and contribute to your mentee.
- Am I a good listener? Can I listen effectively? How long can I keep my focus? How much of my focus is on myself and what I want to say?
- How open are my questions? How many questions do I ask to understand the other party, to make them think, and to broaden their perspective? How much and/or in what situations do I tend to ask closed, judgmental questions and narrow down the options?
We hope this checklist was useful for you!
You can join the TurkishWIN Mentoring program by joining us as a member. Our membership application is online at this link. Our dues are annual and you can join us any time based on a 12-month rolling subscription. We cannot wait to meet you!
