Mentors play a unique role in the startup-building ecosystem. As individuals who have been down the path before, you possess critical insights that can help new founders navigate choppy waters, avoid obvious (to you) pitfalls, and help accelerate their businesses.
Framework curated by Isaac Cook, Ecosystem Manager at MindFrame Connect
Leadership is a practice of practices, and for Ian Chisholm, Founding Partner of the Roy Group, developing new leaders is what mentorship is all about. For mentees, it is important to show up and realize that mentors are stepping up to provide a significant contribution to their career and are dedicating time to be a part of the entrepreneur’s journey.
From Chisholm’s perspective, when we choose leadership in our lives, and embark on the journey of mentorship or menteeship, we should employ the following four practices that he learned from his mentor, Robert Henderson:
Reflection
Comb through intelligence, find patterns and make connections. Reflecting is rigorous, comprehensive and intensive; it’s about analyzing intelligence and putting it out on the table. Sometimes intelligence is in the form of metrics or narrative, sometimes it’s success or failure. An equally beneficial source of information for reflection is our emotions, analyzing the way we feel and react, especially when it comes to experiencing failure.
Inquiry
Become the leader that can acknowledge everything happening around you, then take those observations and craft it into a question. These types of inquiries and questions should be insightful and stop people in their tracks.
Pause
Despite common misconceptions, pausing is the exact opposite of reflection. Pausing is about having a clear mind, which brings up the uncomfortable question: when was the last time you were completely empty? For leaders, pausing is about how we rest, recuperate and replenish our energy. Asking others to bring their best to the tables takes energy, and that energy doesn’t happen by accident- we need to master being empty. If we all develop strategies on how to become empty, then we get to decide what goes back in and having that ability makes you a more agile entrepreneur.
Action
Taking action is not about being busy with multiple different projects and activities, it is about taking the right action at the right time. Action is the samurai sword that comes out and does exactly what it needs to do. However, you can’t find the right actions if you don’t practice the other three disciplines.
When Ian offers advice for mentor and mentee interactions, these are the four practices he references. As a mentee, you need to show up ready to dig deep, have meaningful conversations with those around you, and drop your guard. Focus on the right action for you and pay attention to the endeavors that the world really needs.
For teams requiring unstoppable cultures, the Roy Group is a leadership development firm that helps organizations work better—together. Grounded in deep and disciplined practice, Roy Group’s embedded, team-based approach provides leaders at all levels of an organization with the opportunity to learn and develop from their own experience, as it emerges. Our frameworks and coaching practices are easy to adopt and apply. You’ll see change right from the first engagement.
For more information on best practices for mentees, check out these links:
Want incredible results from your mentorship program? Then download our comprehensive list of best practices.
We draw these best practices from the first-hand experience of program managers like you and our own expertise. This white paper is a comprehensive guide that will be your roadmap to building a world-class mentoring program.
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