C RADLE TO C OLLEGE P ROGRAM :
Submitted by Sovereign Grand Inspector General Horace J. Jackson, 33°, Chairman
mentoring partner creates the foundation of your mentoring relationship but talking can take things only so far. To make mentoring conversations more meaningful to personal development, end every critical conversation with a commitment to take a specific action. Here are three ways you can accomplish this: 1. BE GOAL ORIENTED. Mentees : Prioritize activities and ideas that can improve your skills or abilities and ultimately bring you closer to your mentoring goals. Mentors : Consider asking “Why?” for each idea or action that arises so you can ensure it helps move the mentee toward their stated goals. This will also give them the chance to express their reasoning and thoughts behind each action. 2. BE PRACTICAL. Mentees : Attempt to apply new learning or awareness in a common and straightforward way. Take on actions that put the basic principles of your conversation into play and report back to your mentor regarding your experience and observations to stimulate further discussion. Mentors : Walkthrough ideas with your mentee so they can see how to apply them in the real world. Encourage open discussions on what worked and what did not. 3. BE A MODEL. Mentees : As you engage in conversations with your mentor, consider how the concepts under discussion will affect your current behavior. If you were to adopt a new standard of behavior, what changes would have to take place? Mentors : Give honest feedback on your observations of their behavior and, if possible, share personal insights from your own experiences with adopting the new behaviors or techniques under discussion. Show them how you walked this path and what you learned from the experience.
Conversations What makes mentoring such a special process?
Consider these three things:
1. Humanity and humility that people bring with them to their relationships give mentoring its power. Humanity is the human race. Humility is defined as the quality of being humble. 2. Conversations between people put ideas and learning into context. 3. Support between mentees and mentors provides the strength people need to overcome hurdles and learn from mistakes. When you pull those factors together, you can create powerful mentoring relationships that impact people’s lives and careers— not to mention the impacts that can occur within organizations. To make the most of your mentoring conversations and build meaningful relationships, follow these tips: A. Create a Rhythm and Flow Conversations between mentees and mentors represent the foundation of mentoring relationships and provide a mechanism for development to occur. The quality of these conversations will directly impact the value they have on the mentee’s development. Mentoring conversations should have a rhythm and flow. This occurs by having a set pattern to the conversations that you can use time and again. Each time you meet with your mentee or mentor, talk about: • what actions were taken since your last meeting? • what worked? • what did not work? • what you could try next? • where you go from here? This becomes a cyclical conversation model that you can follow throughout the relationship. By focusing on the smaller action items, you will progress toward larger goals. B. Turn Conversations into Actions Talking about issues and concerns with your
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