How can you make the most of a mentorship opportunity?

Objectives Obviously, moving forward in a mentoring process implies knowing what objectives you want to achieve. It is imperative that the objectives are S.M.A.R.T. and that we do not try to achieve most of them at the same time. I have been in charge of different mentees in professional and developmental settings. The main goals in this area are to have a great educational background focused on the field you are going to work in, to have enough resources (skill and hard) to find the right job, to have information resources to find funding or monetary support, scholarships. The ultimate gold would be to find the best job that can fit the potential candidate.Once objetives defined it is important to define the right strategy to achieve them.

And as many fields in life COMMUNICATION is an essential part of the relationship between the MENTOR and the MENTEE. At the beginning of the process is mandatary to set up a two-ways communication. In this case the mentor should know what the objectives of the mentee are and any kind of question the mentee has about the process. He has to be sincere and try to solve all the things that are not clear. AGAIN: COMMUNICATION. From the mentor side he will have to make clear the rules, normative and methodology as long as a schedule and calendar with deadlines. These kind of COMMUNICATION is important. Otherwise it is possible to have misunderstandings that can lead the process to a failure. I had some cases in the past(lost time effort)

Fazer mentoria por si só nunca levou ninguém a lugar algum. Falo como alguém que já ministrou mais de 300 mentorias individualizadas: os melhores mentorados e mentoradas s?o aqueles que tomam as rédeas de sua vida e entendem que precisam fazer algo para atingirem os seus objetivos. O mentor e as sess?es de mentoria servem para te ajudar a pegar o caminho mais adequado, mas quem precisa andar a estrada é a pessoa!

Two things (from my experience) are necessary to the success of a mentoring process: one is motivation, being constant in the process and accountability from the mentee side and the same by the mentor. From the mentor side is expected to have knowledge, experience (personal and professional) and methodology. Is necessary that the mentee is proactive enough to propose additional solutions, information, interests. The mentoring process is a way of DISCOVERING (personal and professional strengths and weaknesses), new talents, new possibilities and maybe (who knows) a new profession to earn a leaving. That’s why the methodology used by the mento must be flexible enough to accommodate this NEW possibilities. NOTHING IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED.

Yes, I think mentorship is a collaborative process and involves the opportunity to show appreciation for your mentees. What I think matters the most is recognizing what their interests and hobbies are outside of professional conversations, and tailoring that appreciation towards their interests.

Well this is obvious. As an example I am going to put part of the message of one of my mentees. Escribo esta recomendación para JCR, quien jugó un papel fundamental en mi viaje para salir de la indigencia. El apoyo y la guía inquebrantables de Juan Miguel fueron fundamentales en mi transformación de una vida en las calles a una vida de estabilidad y propósito. Antes de conocer a Juan Miguel, yo no tenía hogar. Había perdido mi trabajo, mi casa y mi sentido de mí mismo. Me sentía desesperada y sola. Pero Juan Miguel, me ayudó a descubrir el potencial para cambiar mi vida. El enfoque de Juan Miguel hacia la tutoría se trataba de proporcionarme habilidades y recursos prácticos, se trataba de creer en mí y empoderarme para creer en mí misma.

As with any project or process in which objectives have to be achieved, it is necessary to establish simple KPIs at the beginning that allow us to measure the level of results obtained and the objectives achieved. We can be talking about numbers of courses obtained, resources used and work we have applied. In any case the feedback should again be a two-way process (mentor and mentee). In the case of the mentor it should include the motivation observed, constancy, proactivity, qualities that allow to enhance their professional life and above all there should be a section for future actions and possibilities and future paths. On the mentee's side opinion of the process, positive areas and areas for improvement of the process.

As a Salesforce mentor, my learning journey was reciprocal. Engaging with mentees, like one experienced in the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and another with multiple AWS certifications, enriched my skill set. While guiding them through career transitions within the Salesforce ecosystem, their insights offered me new perspectives. Our mentor-mentee relationships have evolved into lifelong connections, maintained through LinkedIn. This experience underscores that mentorship is a two-way street, fostering mutual growth and lasting professional bonds.