Young professionals learn so much from being mentored-- especially in a group setting where they can exchange ideas and discuss both challenges and successes. Gary Duncan has led his mentor group for several years. Those who are part of the program (as well as those who have moved on to other cities to accomplish great things) talk about what value he brings to this project and to them.
Mentoring Young Professionals
I. Why group mentoring?
A. Helps learn how to manage group dynamics
B. Later on, managing group dynamics will not be a stumbling block in their careers
C. Participants (and the leader) learn things that others want to learn, not just what you want to learn
II. Keys to building a successful group
A. Trust: what is said there stays there
1. Tell the new person before they join
2. Remind the group periodically
B. Don't have two people from the same field
1. No worries about competitive info being shared
C. The leader vets the potential new member first
1. The group vets the new person before allowing them to join
III. Engagement
A. Learn how to engage others
B. One of the top five traits that leads to success on the job is engagement
C. Mentors task is to pull everyone in and get them engagedD. The best way to encourage engagement is through demonstration, not lecture
1. Sometimes you lead from behind
E. How to bring a person back into the group without embarrassing them: by example
1. Ex. How are you doing today on the job?
F. Don't deal with relationships outside of work
1. If a person has an issue with a family member, etc. Ex. How are you doing today on the job?
IV. Story Telling
A. Give actual real life experiences
1. This helps understanding and remembering
B. Use a visual
1. Ex. Draw a circle, put the issue inside
Draw smaller surrounding circles and put solutions in those
C. Is the mentor lifting key points out of the discussion
1. What are the key issues and learnings here, not just the story line
D. It's tempting to discuss politics and popular topics
1. That can blow up a group
2. Instead, encourage them to go get the whole picture, to know all the facts, and them have a factual discussion