Looking to improve your own Leadership and Management skills? Want to grow your business?

Being a client (i.e. the recipient of mentoring) under this programme will match you with a mentor who is a valuable source of knowledge, expertise and experience. 

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

Working with a mentor can bring about genuine improvements in your skills and enhance yor business performance.

What are the benefits of being Mentored?

Many individuals and businesses benefit from receiving mentoring, below are just a few of these benefits;

Increased self-awareness and self-discipline

Mentoring can provide you with feedback on your own communication skills, can highlight areas where your knowledge may be lacking or help you decide on areas for improvement.

Support in transitions

As you seek to develop your own business or career there will be a times when you have to make significant transitions – taking on new responsibilities, facing new challenges etc – and having a mentor to talk with, to bounce your ideas off and to share your thoughts with can be a real benefit.

Provided with sounding board and feedback

We all have ideas on how we can develop our business or performance or tackle challenges. Having a mentor provides you with an experienced business person who you can use as a sounding board for these ideas and can provide you with impartial and potentially challenging views, helping you to formulate and enhance your own thoughts.

Accelerated training and development

Although mentoring relationships are often long term, the development that you undergo as part of the relationship often includes many ‘quick wins’ and this is therefore an accelerated method for you to improve and enhance your skills.

Expanded personal network and other learning resources

A mentor can introduce you to a wide variety of people, who can be potential advisors, experts, suppliers or clients.

Experience of different options/paths

Your mentor may well have faced the same challenges that you are currently facing and can share with you their experience, helping you to decide on your own future actions.

Increased self-confidence and self-esteem

A mentoring relationship gives you the time, space and environment to openly discuss any areas where you feel your skills are lacking, to look at the implications of these and talk about how you feel you can improve in these areas or create strategies to cope with them. This can lead to you feeling more secure in your skills.

A safe space to try out ideas

A mentor will always listen to your ideas and seek to see the positives in them, but won’t shy away from giving you honest and constructive feedback. You can use your mentor in role play scenarios to practise conversations you are going to have.

Access to information

Mentors often act as a signpost, to resources, information, people or contacts. Through their own experience and network they will be able to help you locate support that you may be needing.

A source of stretch and challenge

A mentor is not just there to listen, they will challenge you to improve, to tackle issues that you may previously have avoided, or to deliver increased performance for your business.

Could you receive Mentoring under this programme?

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.

The Mentoring Programme is for leaders and senior managers of small business who:

·       have been trading for a minimum of 1 year;

·       have less than £2m turnover per year;

·       have a leadership/management role in the company;

·       are looking to improve their leadership skills;

·       are looking to grow their business;

·       are not currently receiving Agency funded LEAD, High Growth Coaching or Business Start Up Support;

·       are not located in Local Economic Growth Initiative (LEGI) funded areas or in receipt of LEGI funded support.

FAQ’s

How do I register?

For information on registering to become a mentee, please contact us at mentoring@upwebsite.com or, alternatively, call Paul Halliwell on 0161 237 3553 and we will discuss the process with you.

Do I qualify?

The Mentoring Programme is for leaders and senior managers of small business who:

If you would like to discuss your eligibility, please contact us at mentoring@upwebsite.com or, alternatively, call Paul Halliwell on 0161 237 3553.

What is the cost?

The programme is completely free of charge to all eligible organisations.

What time commitment is involved?

The exact frequency, time and location of each mentoring meeting is agreed upon by the mentor and client 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.

What role does The Urquhart Partnership play in the programme?

We have been selected by the NWDA as one of the providers to deliver this programme.  Our role is to understand the areas where our mentors can best add value in a mentoring relationship and to match these to the specific areas identified with our clients where they feel they can benefit from being mentored.

Interested in becoming a mentor?  Contact us on 0161 237 3553 or email mentoring@upwebsite.com