To prepare for a successful year of mentoring, the message for September’s Mentor Training encourages mentors to begin with the end in mind.
Beginning with the end in mind comes from the framework of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. The book explores the principles of effective self-leadership, influence, collaboration, and improvement. Habit 2 outlines how thinking or envisioning the end first allows for planning the steps we can take to achieve a desired outcome or goal. Applying this habit to mentoring can ensure a thoughtful plan for relationship building as well as a healthy closure, all generating positive outcomes for your mentee for years to come.
While some may be hesitant to think of the end of their mentoring relationship, it’s important that we mentor with the intention of modeling what it is like to navigate a healthy relationship from the beginning to the close. It is never too late to apply the habit of starting with the end in mind, no matter the stage of your mentoring relationship.
Starting Out Together
- You both could be excited, and/or nervous. You are learning about mentoring and each other.
- If you are in this stage, some very important goals for the year are to learn about your mentee, establish trust and build a friendship.
Negotiating
- Your mentee may challenge you and you may begin rethinking your first impressions of them. Emotions surface and you see different sides of your mentee. If you are in stage two, a vital goal is to establish reliability. Continuing to show up conveys they matter to you.
Empowering Growth
- The relationship begins feeling right again and the hard work you have put in so far is paying off. Trust is established and growth of the relationship is evident. In this phase a goal could be to teach your mentee a new hobby they are curious about, and skills that will enhance their lives.
Closure or Redefinition
- Mentoring relationships may reach the end due to a planned or sudden geographical move by you or your mentee, an employment change, or perhaps your mentee feels ready to spread their wings without a mentor. By practicing habit 2, you are prepared to say goodbye, regardless of when your relationship reaches this phase.
Visioning–setting goals for your mentoring both short term and long term, lays the groundwork for healthy closure and ensures our mentees will experience a positive and lasting impact that extends beyond the duration of the mentoring relationship.