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Could you be a business mentor?

Lived through the highs and lows of running a business? Got experience, knowledge and wisdom that you can share with your peers? Made a real difference in your business?

If so, why not join the Mentoring Programme as a mentor and give something back to your local business community?

Mentors will listen, challenge and offer insight, knowledge and above all experience, to inspire leaders and managers to develop their ability and potential.

As part of this quality accredited programme, mentors will receive induction and expert guidance to understand the mentoring process fully.  Mentors will also be supported to develop their mentoring skills through a programme of training and networking events.  Mentoring is voluntary; however, out of pocket expenditure such as travel costs will be reimbursed.

What are the benefits of becoming a business mentor?

There are many benefits to becoming a mentor and below we have outlined just some of these:

Increased network: By attending our regular Mentor network meetings you’ll be able to share best practise and experience of mentoring with like minded business people as well as taking the opportunity to increase your own peer network.

Skills development: All of our Mentors undergo training on commencement of the project and will receive ongoing support. This support will ensure your mentoring, communication and management skills are enhanced. It may be possible for mentors to receive accreditation to recognise their skills.

New perspective: A mentoring relationship with a less experienced person can allow you to view your own business or personal performance from a completely different perspective

Personal fulfilment: Being a successful mentor and seeing your mentee develop and enhance their performance is a tremendously rewarding experience and one that keeps many mentors actively seeking new mentoring relationships.  In addition, being valued as a ‘Role Model’ can also provide a great personal sense of achievement.

Self improvement: Sharing in the developmental experience of another person can help you to also improve your own performance in key areas or to introduce new ideas to your own business

Insight: A mentoring relationship is a strong, mutually challenging and rewarding one, and by being a mentor many people are able to gain new insight into the relationships that they have with other colleagues and peers.

Challenge: Many successful business people love a challenge, and mentoring can provide a good degree of challenge and stimulation.

Reflection: – The discussions that take place with a mentee will often lead to reflection on your own challenges and opportunities and provide new thoughts on how these can be tackled.

Renewed focus: As your career progresses, many successful people lose sight of their own development and progression, and being a mentor can help you regain this focus.

FAQ’s

What does it involve?

A mentoring relationship is a series of informal meetings between a mentor and a mentee (sometimes called the client). The meetings often have no agenda but will usually focus on the challenges and issues facing the client. The mentor is not there to provide answers necessarily, more to give an objective view, prompting different thoughts in the client. A mentor may well share experience, but steers clear of saying ‘This is what you should do…’

When does it start?

The NWDA programme runs until March 2012. Mentors may choose to have just one relationship, or to have more than one, either simultaneously or concurrently.

How much time commitment is involved?

The exact frequency, time and location of each mentoring meeting is agreed upon by the mentor and mentee at the start of their relationship. Some pairings find it most suitable to meet on a monthly basis, typically for an hour or so, whilst others meet less frequently but for a longer period. Relationships typically last around 9 months but it may be the case for a pairing that the relationship lasts much longer, or that they feel after a slightly shorter period of time that they have reached a natural conclusion to the relationship.

Each mentor will attend a half day mentor training workshop and at least 2 mentor networking sessions which last 2 hours.

Can I be a Mentor?

There is no distinct rule as to who can be a mentor. Generally, we are looking for people who have significant experience in business and are willing to share their experience with others. We will provide the training and support on an ongoing basis to ensure that you are able to fulfil this challenging role and add real value in the relationship.

How do I become a Mentor?

The first step is to contact us at mentoring@upwebsite.com or, alternatively, call Paul Halliwell on 0161 237 3553 and we will contact you to arrange a meeting or telephone call where we can discuss with you your background, the process we will follow and the next steps.

Will I choose my client?

Each person who registers successfully to be mentored will be offered a choice of 3 mentors, and will make a decision from these three. Mentors will be selected for this shortlist on the basis of geography, experience and areas of knowledge, to provide a close match to the needs of the mentee, so you can be sure that there will be solid ground on which your relationship will start.

If you have any more questions, please call us on 0161 237 3553 or email mentoring@upwebsite.com