How to Make Your Executive Mentoring Program Successful

Sharpening your skills is immensely important at this point in time, especially in an age where the competition grows fierce as the demand for jobs and employment grows. Needless to say, anyone could benefit from different well-structured and engaging mentoring programs — even executives. The seminars could help high-position employees not only improve their current work performance, but also think of new ways to strategize and solve problems. Besides that, the programs also serve as an avenue for networking and meeting individuals who are successful in their field. But how exactly can you ensure that these executive mentoring programs would actually work well for you?

Trust the Process

This is quite possibly the first step. After all, being mentored requires a certain level of trust. Think about it: you would be getting the chance to work with a number of individuals in the same field with different experiences. If you are unable to trust the program process, you might not be able to fully utilize the benefits of the entire program. It all only proves trusting the process is the first crucial prerequisite you need to do. Try to take on the mindset that the mentoring program will actually help you in your future professional endeavors—because any learning experience is bound to bring new opportunities.

Be Open to Learning

With regards to learning, it is essential to keep an open mind. Perhaps prior experience from browsing and searching for courses may make you believe that you already understand the context and meaning of a certain insight being shared by your mentor. However, being open to learning more is what will truly allow you to maximize any new ideas that you can find through the mentoring program. Besides, any mentoring program is designed so that it becomes unique and personalized in such a way that no other regular class can be. Taking full advantage of this is the key to being able to improve yourself. 

Remember that It’s Still a Learning Experience

There is truly no shortcut to self-improvement. If, for example, you’re just not the type to easily grasp learning how to produce a corporate video even after several explanations, don’t give up just yet. And yes, even well-performing executives can get discouraged. But while it is easy to feel disheartened if you are unable to see results right away, you need to remember that the main purpose of the program itself is for you to learn. As such, there is no assurance that you will get things right away. But there is an opportunity for you to develop your skills if you keep at it. For all you know, you might just need to use a video making software to make videos and add audio to them. It could turn things around. Taking the step in making use of this opportunity is actually already a step in the right direction; it’s a step toward getting things right.

Also read: Impact of Mentoring in the Workplace

Set Your Goals

Knowing what you would want to get out of the program will provide a clearer direction during the duration of the exchange. You must know and be expressive about what exactly it is that you want to get out of the program. It might be helpful to write them down and speak about them with your mentor. That way, not only will you be able to set your expectations accordingly as to how you would end up at the end of the mentoring program, your mentor would also be able to accommodate you in a more accurate way. Moreover, it should not be surprising that your own goals will be different from those of your fellow mentees. There’s no need to try and compare who appears to be reaching higher since these goals are meant specifically and personally for you.

Take Good Notes

Of course, not everyone has some sort of photographic memory that allows them to automatically remember every little detail. Have a pen and paper handy in every mentoring session in order to jot down any important insights or questions you might have. Or perhaps you’d prefer to use a laptop to type in what you wish—it’s not a bad choice either. As long as you have some way to take note of what you learn. You may opt to have an entirely separate notebook for the program, or perhaps a separate file on your computer in order to keep things organized. Writing it all down will also help you have a reference of sorts if you were to try and reflect or at least try to remember what the program has taught you. 

Engage

To facilitate learning, engaging with your mentor (and perhaps even your fellow mentees) is an important aspect of the program. It isn’t just enough to simply absorb whatever is said in front of you. You must try to think and reflect on them, especially when it comes to applying what you have learned in your own life. This will, of course, cause you to raise questions. There’s never any shame in asking in order to understand. After all, that is the main purpose of the entire program. Not only will this allow you to further drive home the impact of mentoring, but it will also show your interest in attempting to enhance your skills.

Also read: Improve Your Workplace Culture With a Mentoring Program

Be Committed

Many companies, due to the pandemic, have been hiring remote globally—and the same goes for mentors everywhere. As a result, there may be different time zones that you need to deal with, or different schedules for both of you, especially as an executive with a variety of pending duties and decisions to make. Still, you must stay committed to the program if you truly wish to see any significant improvements. Being consistent is what will determine your success in changing yourself for the better. It will also help you build a better relationship with your mentor and therefore aid in trust and open communication. It’s important to remember that when committing to a specific schedule, you should also take into account how much time you are able to give towards the mentoring program so as not to over-commit. 

In Short…

Much of a successful mentoring program is based on mindset and attitude. Seeing the program for what it can do for you is not enough; rather, it is crucial to also understand how much you are willing to contribute on your end. It is therefore ultimately up to you to maximize the program for yourself.

Want to make your executive mentoring program successful? We’re happy to help you!

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