How do you network and collaborate with other mentors and mentoring programs in your field or sector?

In my experience as a mentor, I have found that having a clear vision of my goals and interests before engaging in networking and collaboration with other mentors and mentoring programs is essential. It helps you determine what you want to achieve, whether it's acquiring new skills, discovering new opportunities, or sharing best practices.

Engaging with other Mentors can be on various fronts...I've always operated with an agile and open mindset This also means that I nurture relationships with other Mentors depending upon my strengths and also on areas that I would like to learn & get inspired from!!

This is true, clarity about objectives is crucial. I have experienced collaborations that are unclear, creates strained relationships and produces unfavourable results. Clarity of vision makes you meet the right people and collaborate with similar intentions.

In my opinion, mentoring has the power to transform others' lives journey through the source of wisdom, and become the catalyst for growth, with a network of support. Mentoring also has the power to fuel your confidence, connect you with role models, and drive you towards your goals. In the world of mentorship, both mentor and mentee thrive, leaving a lasting legacy of empowerment and transformation. In mentoring, you'll find not only guidance but also the keys to unlocking your potential.

I agree, it's important to know what you want to find the right people that align with your goals and interests. When you get the right people, the right energy will flow, and then your community will picks up.

Right Questions to ask before choosing a Right Mentor. It is critical to know that you can work and communicate well with the person who's going to help guide your career. ?? What experience and expertise does the potential mentor have in my field or area of interest? ?? What is the mentor's approach to mentorship, and how does it align with my goals and needs? ?? What is the mentor's availability and willingness to invest time in our mentorship relationship? ?? What is the mentor's reputation and track record of success, and how have they helped other mentees grow and succeed? ?? What is the mentor's communication style and how do they prefer to work with their mentees, and how does it align with my own communication and work style?

Agree that we can find great mentors from these virtual tools and in person networking. I personally love warm referrals and look at this as multiple informational interviews and somewhat like dating. We need to know what we are looking for and have some goals outlined to know who can be a great mentor 1 and mentor 2 for us. There are a myriad of other tools and processes to check out as well - internal mentorship helps the business grow immensely and collaborating across corporate borders can also accelerate growth!

As someone who has taken multiple career pivots...I've always strived to stay from comfort zone On the hindsight, when I look at it...I feel that I've truly come a long way and this is what empowers me to be a continuous learner and also engage with other Mentors via various routes This could be via physical forums that I am either invited for or am attending as a participant, via online webinars or through online forums where I get to meet and engage people through multiple other connections What has been a common thread is looking at the journey of other Mentors and what is it that I can offer to them!

I believe in networking our focus should be on giving and not taking. Contribute first, don't expect anything in return. Keep sharing and caring. Once the trust is established, which is the vital component, it's a cake walk. People know who are genuine and who are fair weather friends.

I have always been someone who has believed in nurturing relationships and not leaving them only at a transactional level This has served me on multiple fronts and some of them are as follows: ?? I've always been involved in building genuine conversations ?? Have connected with them on their little success and joyful events ?? Encouraged them on multiple fronts without any form of judgement or pre-conceived notions ?? Have accepted their feedback and sought their advice on areas that I could do better ?? Given them feedback even if it was of little or of no significance...in the quest to see them growing

Building and nurturing relationships take time & effort. On my journey, I have realised that one should be a life long learner. Having to adopt a beginner's mindset in the field I considered myself an expert was initially challenging for me. However as I did this, I was able to create value for mentees and build genuine relationships.

It’s the networking and networking is not about being seen out there and taking pictures and sharing across your social media platforms. For me, as for networking, I’ve joined the specific associations or institutes. Being someone who prefer online networking, due to time factor of running my business, I join the online talks, or anyone who offer talks in the area I want to develop and grow. It’s an excellent thing, because there are group discussions and sharing knowledge from participants as well. Its a great way of testing the water as well. Who and what, whether we are sharing and learning, or just showing. From this, you can narrow down to which associations you should stay with.

SMART is a phenomenon that's applicable in all walks of life right from personal and professional right upto social as well Evaluating what has worked well and what could be done better has always helped me to operate with authenticity and also establish the right ways of working towards building a long term vision In the process, I've learnt so much and have been able to improve my own learning curve This vision has helped me to nurture action driven outcomes that has been a Win-Win

We suggest you evaluate after each session and reflect on the agreed upon goals and expectations, roles and responsibilities. As stated above we want to take a SMART approach to these relationships and sometimes we need to “rebaseline” or pivot how we are going about mentorship together. It’s not one size fits all and a simple ask of what to 1. Start doing 2. Stop doing 3. Continue doing 4. Shift the way we do it Can really help a lot!

As a mentor it's important that you practice what you preach. Be the living example of your values. Don't compromise to please others. People will not do what you say but will follow what you do.

Consider setting up mentor circles. These circles bring in mentors together that align with your goals and interests that you have first established. Then set a topic each month and let someone leads the discussion. We can all learn from such sharing.