10 Things To Do With A Mentor

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You might want to mix up your mentoring conversations with some other activities. Here are 10 things that can be a fun and productive change.

1. Book club – both read a chapter of a relevant book each week/month and discuss how it applies in your situation and what you could action.
2. Psychometrics – use the results of an instrument such as Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, Life Styles Instrument, DISC or any sort of 360° feedback as a basis for development.
3. My life as a movie – pick (or imagine) a movie that represents your life. Which character are you? How do the events in the movie reflect your life/career?
4. Glasshouse – visit the mentor in their workplace. Have them explain their job/business.
5. Shadow – accompany the mentor to meetings or in their daily work as a silent observer. Then ask questions and discuss what you learned.
6. Play journalist – Prepare a list of questions about the mentor’s career or experience and interview them.
7. Research and reflect – do some fact-finding about a relevant topic. Discuss what you discovered and how you might use it.
8. Rehearse – practice a conversation that you need to have with your manager or a colleague, or a job interview. Get feedback and coaching from your mentor to produce the outcomes you want.
9. Artwork – draw a picture/make a collage or vision board to graphically represent where you see yourself going or what’s important to you.Write your obituary or eulogy – this sounds a bit dark but if you’ve ever read an obituary or heard a good eulogy, you know it can be a celebration of all that was positive in one person’s life. So make this about what you’d like to be remembered for. Perhaps you triumphed over adversity. Maybe you were accomplished in many areas. Use your imagination and make it as positive as possible.