How can you help mentees take ownership of their leadership development?

As mentors, it's crucial to shift the dynamic from a one-sided conversation to a two-way growth experience. One proven strategy I've found invaluable is holding mentees accountable for completing agreed-upon deliverables. Take the concept of a "glide path," for example. This chart plots out critical milestones—educational, career, and even family—over time. My mentor helped me design my own glide path, complete with decision points that guided my military retirement and transition into the private sector. Accountability is where empowerment truly takes shape. Having a tangible document like a glide path that was reviewed annually with my mentor gave me a compelling visual representation of my ambitions.

Let's Begins with a Real Story Hoping easy to understand I was a fresher and want to do something for career but as max student think same thought i have in my mind i.e How? bcz whenever I appear for interview it give a fear of not getting selected .... but one a Nice Lady ask me " Arun Why are you " Mumbling" .... things gone blank and i said " madam I don't have any Idea about this job and i am clueless this time . She said Have some water and sit calm and She give me a feeling of kindness which help to get selected and in 6 years i became Operation Head. In these 7 years now i repeat what she did with me as angle and i am repeating that emotions same way and getting people with high potential but mumble with future insecurity

An effective way to drive accountability and ownership is to document and track - this can include the goals, feedback, milestones etc. Ensure that each item has a clear owner and due date. Lead each meeting with reviewing the action item tracker for progress. Encourage your mentee to raise any risks, issues, concerns with these early on.

In my role as a mentor, I’ve had the privilege of guiding and witnessing remarkable transformations. Personal Growth: Through self-reflection, my mentees have experienced profound personal and professional growth -the power of introspection. Defining Aspirations: Together, we’ve delved deep into defining their leadership aspirations, charting a purposeful course forward. Embracing Change: Willingness to embrace change as a result of self-reflection has led to significant breakthroughs and adaptability. Feedback as a Fuel: value of feedback for continuous self-improvement, achieving excellence. The Art of Patience: Throughout this voyage, they’ve demonstrated patience and unwavering commitment to the self-reflection process.

I find this very helpful even if the mentee isn’t actually carrying out the action. We discuss how they would handle a hypothetical situation or a situation they witnessed someone else navigate. These all add to their decision-making and problem-solving arsenal and boost their confidence to do so when it’s their time.

They need to be taken on a journey. You don't go straight in and start setting goals on day one. You first help understand that person's values, their motivations and passions. The people in their life. Their capacity for regulating their emotions during the good and bad times. Is their any limiting self beliefs or internal negative talk? This serves 2 purposes. As the mentor you learn about your mentee but this is also a journey of self-discovery for them. Once you have shown them you care and that they are in control of their own destiny they come to realise that they are the ones that are accountable for achieving success in their lives. You can then set into motion the goals and methods for obtaining and tracking them.