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2. Initiate Relationship

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22 mins

How to Build the Relationship with Your Mentee

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Time you spend building rapport and trust with your mentee will improve the success of the journey.
Here are key components you need to build that relationship -

1. Confidentiality in both directions is key. Do not discuss anything your mentee shares with you unless you have their permission. Remind your mentee of confidentiality at the beginning and end of every session.

2. Building rapport and trust are essential. Here are some ways you can build trust.

Don’t rush. Spend enough time in the beginning getting to know each other, rather than rushing into goal setting and solutions.
Do your research about your mentee so you’re not starting cold. Acknowledge their strengths.
Believe your mentee has the best answers within themselves. Your job is to ask the right questions.
Follow through – do what you say you are going to do.
Be prepared to be vulnerable – don’t just share your hero stories. Also share the times you failed.
Ask for and be open to feedback from your mentee.
Be non-judgmental.
Listen a lot! Talk a little.‍
Ask open-ended questions‍

3. Ask open-ended questions to get to know your mentee.

What ^are your values?
What do you believe are strengths?
What are you passionate about?
What motivates you?
What are you most proud of?
What successes have you had?
What have you taken away from your failures?

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How to Help Your Mentee Set Goals

Realistic goals that can be measured and achieved will improve both party’s experience and satisfaction.

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xyz_mentor

4 mins

Here are some requirements a goal should meet -

1. Inspiring

Your mentee should be excited and enthusiastic about working towards these goals.
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2. Challenging, Yet Achievable

Your mentee will grow if there’s a bit of a stretch to the goal, provided it’s attainable.
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3. Measurable and Time-Based

Goals should be measurable so you both know when they are achieved. They also should have a time-frame.

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5 Steps For Goal Setting

Ideally, your mentee should have at least three primary goals. Here are steps to help your mentee set goals. Use the MentorCloud worksheet to document and track progress.

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STEP 1: Explore

You and your mentee should look at all the major friction areas of their work and personal life. Your mentee needs to identify at least three areas to focus on through their Mentoring Journey.

Here are some open-ended questions you can ask your mentee:

What do you want to accomplish in the upcoming months?
What are some things you would really like to learn or do?
What comes to mind in terms of personal or professional friction areas impacting you?
What else have you always dreamed of doing?
What would you like to see in your life that currently is not there?

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STEP 2: Identify

From these areas, you can help your mentee identify their goals. Eliminate goals that are not relevant to the mentoring journey
Encourage your mentee to record their goals using the MentorCloud worksheet.

Here are some questions to ask your mentee:

Does the goal meet the requirements of being motivating, challenging, achievable, and time-bound?
How will you measure success and know when you have achieved the goal?

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STEP 3: Needs Analysis

After the goals are recorded, help your mentee think about the steps to achieve them.

Questions to ask your mentee:

How do you see accomplishing this goal?
What will you need to achieve it?
What resources, knowledge, help, or collaboration will you need?

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STEP 4: Obstacles

What could prevent your mentee from achieving their goals, and how could it be overcome?

Questions to ask your mentee:

What do you fear could prevent you from reaching these goals?
How can I help you?

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STEP 5: Milestones And Action Plan

Milestones will help your Mentee measure their progress. Start by identifying a milestone and timeline with each goal. Ensure your mentee has a reasonable action plan for each goal.

Questions to ask your mentee:

What milestones will help you track each goal?
What help, or collaboration will you need?

Once your mentee has identified some goals, discuss it with them, and ensure it’s entered in the Goals & Tasks sections under Mentorship so you can refer back to it. If a goal seems too broad or unrealistic, help your mentee break these down into doable tasks and review their progress.

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