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Mentorship changes lives and careers.
It’s a symbiotic relationship that can drive a mentee’s professional growth and help mentors improve their communication and leadership skills. Nine out of ten workers who have a mentor are happier at their jobs.
However, certain challenges can keep mentorships from blossoming into successful relationships, such as:
- Lack of structure and focus
- Misaligned individual mentee’s goals with organizational goals
- Inconsistencies in progress tracking and goal setting
So, what should both parties do to ensure every meeting is a productive one? One smart solution involves creating a well-structured mentor meeting agenda.
Let’s begin by looking at the elements that make up an agenda:
Main elements of a mentor meeting agenda
It won’t be wrong to think of mentor meetings as the rocket fuel of professional development. That’s because each session ignites new insights and charts a course through challenges, propelling a mentee closer to their goals.
But truly unlocking the potential of meetings only occurs when they’re conducted with a well-crafted agenda.
A good meeting agenda usually follows along these lines:
1. Welcome and introduction
Mentors should open each session with a warm and positive tone. They should reiterate the purpose of the mentorship journey they’re undertaking with their mentee. Doing so encourages trust and collaboration–both are essential for a productive dialogue.
2. Review of previous goals and action items
Next, the mentor should acknowledge their mentee’s progress. While that gives them both a chance to celebrate the successes, it can also open the way to discussing roadblocks and areas for improvement.
It’s important for both parties to realize an agenda isn’t a rigid script but a living dynamic document. Therefore, they must also review previously set goals and readjust to answer new challenges or take advantage of emerging opportunities.
3. Current challenges and opportunities
Well-crafted agendas should focus on the present. That means addressing the challenges and opportunities a mentee is currently facing.
During this dialogue, the two parties must brainstorm potential solutions together. A mentor’s experience and the mentee’s personal outlook will both be invaluable in such an instance.
4. Skill development and learning
These are professional development meetings at their core. So, discussions on the best way to invest in skill development is key. The process should involve the identification of specific skills a mentee wants to cultivate to realize long-term career aspirations.
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5. Goal setting for the future
Now that the mentee and mentor are both cognizant of the skills the former needs to develop, they’ll have arrived at the goal-setting in mentorship stage.
It involves ensuring the goals are:
- SMART
- In line with the mentee’s professional development plan
- Leading to the desired career-based outcomes
6. Organizational alignment
A mentor’s next job is to bridge the gap between their mentee’s personal goals and those of the organization they work for. Being able to look at the bigger picture helps a mentee leverage their developing skills to contribute to organizational success.
For instance:
- Mentee goal – Enhance customer retention.
- Organizational objective – Increase customer satisfaction and reduce churn rate by 10%.
- Mentor-based intervention – Improve communication skills and active listening techniques.
- Outcome – Stronger customer relationships, leading to higher satisfaction and reduced churn.
7. Feedback and reflection
Feedback and reflection are essential ingredients for growth. A good agenda has room for both and assigns these roles to the participants:
Mentor
- Provide constructive feedback
- Focus on areas for improvement
- Offer actionable suggestions
Mentee
- Reflect on their learning and experiences
- Be self-aware
8. Action plan for next steps
Now it's time to translate intention into action. A good agenda clearly outlines consistent actionable steps and realistic deadlines for both mentor and mentee. This ensures accountability and continued momentum towards the goals.
9. Resource sharing and recommendations
Well-crafted agendas don’t put a stop to learning! Mentors need to share relevant resources, articles, books, podcasts, and tools. They should also recommend networking opportunities, conferences, and workshops for their mentee’s continued professional development.
While the support arsenal should be tailored, here are some suggestions:
- Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
- JBM’s podcast 40 Minute Mentor
- Mentor Meeting: Making the first one count
- 30 Questions to ask your mentor in your next meeting
- Mentor and Mentee: Roles and Expectations
- Handbook: How To Be a Great Mentee
- Handbook: How To Be a Great Mentor
10. Schedule next meeting
Finally, to ensure the journey continues beyond a session, an agenda should include room for the planning of the next one. A successful mentorship thrives on continuous interaction. Both the mentor and their mentee should be clear on what to expect in the upcoming session.
11. Closing remarks
Close to the end, the agenda should involve a recap of what was discussed in the meeting before moving on to emphasize on continued communication.
12. Follow-up communication
It’s best to agree on the preferred communication channels between meetings. For a mentee, this should encourage participation and take care of accessibility issues. For a mentor, this helps set up healthy boundaries on the frequency of correspondence.
Additionally, a mentee should initiate the follow-up, sending in a summary, key takeaways, and actions. Mentors can respond with an encouraging note, feedback, and links or information related to what was covered in the session.
Crystal Black, Sr. L&D Specialist at AAA, talks about how she motivated mentors to participate in their mentorship program.
Benefits of mentor meeting agenda
A structured mentor meeting agenda can shape a mentorship meeting into a more collaborative and effective session. Requesting an agenda beforehand helps mentees take ownership of their relationship and provides context for what they’ll discuss during a session.
Have a mentor meeting agenda:
- Encourages a mentee to come prepared and become invested in having a more valuable meeting.
- Gives both parties a roadmap, preventing aimless discussions and keeping the focus on efficient discussions of key topics.
- Encourages active listening and two-way dialogue, creating a safe space for open communication, idea sharing, and deeper understanding of each other's perspectives.
- Results in better time management, as both parties prioritize topics and allocate time effectively.
- Agendas can bridge the gap between personal goals and organizational objectives.
What happens when you don’t have a mentor meeting agenda?
For starters, it’s costly – close to $100 million a year.
Here are some other challenges you face when you don’t have a mentor meeting agenda:
- Without clearly defined agendas, mentor meetings can be unproductive and frustrating.
- Infrequent and unstructured meetings weaken a mentorship’s momentum, hinder progress, and dilute valuable insights.
- Without an agenda, mentor meetings can quickly turn into one-sided lectures with awkward silences instead of open discussions.
When Intel’s mentorship programs kept unraveling back in 2002, their team analyzed the reasons behind their failures. The culprit? The informal nature of their mentorship sessions.
How to craft an effective mentor meeting agenda
Follow these steps for co-crafting effective mentor meeting agendas:
Pre-Meeting
- Brainstorm individual and shared goals depending on what the mentor and mentee each hope to achieve. This ensures aligned expectations and focused discussions.
- Each participant should suggest specific agenda items to include, such as questions, challenges, skill-building requests, or progress updates.
Agenda building
- Prioritize topics based on importance and timeframe and group related items to improve logical flow.
- Assign realistic time slots to each agenda item sufficient for in-depth discussions.
- Assign clear action or follow-up tasks to every topic for accountability and momentum.
Leveraging a mentor meeting agenda template
Companies offer different types of mentorship programs and mentees should pick one that best serves their purposes for:
- Career advancement
- Skill development
- Problem-solving
- Networking strategies
- Interview preparation
Similarly, pre-designed agenda templates can be tailored to specific mentorship goals. Together’s Mentor Meeting Agenda Template is an effective resource.
What is Together’s meeting agenda template
While a well-crafted agenda sets the stage for powerful mentorship conversations, managing it and maximizing its impact calls for more. That's where Together’s meeting agenda template shines.
Mentors and mentees can leverage it to transform agenda creation into a dynamic, collaborative experience. That’s because it’s a complete toolkit with:
- Goal tracking features
- Access to curated resources and learning materials
- Connections to a broader mentorship community like The HR Network for professionals in the HR and L&D industry.
What to expect
The mentor meeting agenda is divided into 5 sections:
- Personal development
- Professional development
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Culture
- Health and balance
Each section deals with a specific aspect of a mentorship. For instance, the second one is related to a mentee’s professional developmental goals and how to achieve them.
How it can positively impact mentor-mentee relationships
There are several reasons why our meeting agenda template can elevate most mentorships. First off, it allows real-time co-contributions from both mentors and mentees. It’s why the templates foster a sense of shared ownership and investment from the get-go. Headaches due to email exchanges or version control? Gone!
The template also allows in-meeting updates and adjustments. Either party can add or tweak details, such as a challenge emerging mid-convo, seamlessly. This makes the focus shift smoother and easier while holding the participants to a productive discussion.
Everything from notes to action items and resources gets stored and is easily accessible. Therefore, tracking progress and ensuring transparency and accountability are all possible.
Finally, it’s infinitely easier for both participants to get an overview of previous developments and discussions when prepping for the next one.
What are the best practices for using a meeting agenda
Mentors and mentees can’t just co-create an agenda and expect it to do all the heavy lifting. Here are the best practices to follow:
- Don’t overload the agenda; focus on 2-3 key topics–this leaves room for unexpected insights.
- Leave room for icebreakers and reflection time.
- Ask open-ended questions for a deeper dialogue.
- Actively listen and give constructive feedback.
- Celebrate progress and acknowledge challenges.
- Mentors should share relevant experiences but keep the conversation mentee-focused.
- Align the mentee’s goals with the objectives and values of their organization.
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4 strategies for aligning mentor meetings with the goals and values of the organization
As we mentioned above, aligning a mentee’s goals with that of their organizational objectives is one of the best practices in mentorships. But why is it so important and how is it done?
It’s important because it allows a mentee to continue with their professional development goals. At the same time, they can also ensure they remain a valued contributor within an organization.
With the strategies below, mentorship participants can ensure they align and reorient a mentee’s professional development with their company’s objectives:
1. Understand organizational objectives
According to a Randstad study, employee turnover rate was almost 50% lower among those who participated in mentorship. This indicates if an employee’s personal development requirements are being met within their company, they may be less likely to leave.
Organizational alignment begins when the mentor and mentee familiarize themselves with the organization's mission, vision, and strategic goals, including KPIs. We’d also advise researching department-specific objectives and priorities, and understanding how to contribute to overall success of the company.
After reaching shared understanding, mentors and mentees can use it to lay the foundation for personal development with organizational needs.
2. Incorporate organizational values into discussions
At this stage, the mentor should have open and regular discussions about the organization's core values. In addition, they should explore how these values manifest in daily work and decision-making.
For instance, Sarah, a marketing intern, is working on a company campaign for a new eco-friendly water bottle. Her mentor, David, might guide Sarah to consider the campaign's potential impact on the community.
Next, David encourages Sarah to volunteer her time with environmental organizations. The outcome? Sarah begins to embody her company’s CSR values through her actions (organizational value) and leadership (personal development).
3. Regularly review and adjust goals
Scheduling regular goal-review meetings to assess progress, celebrate achievements, and identify any needed adjustments is crucial.
Additionally, flexibility and ongoing dialogue can highlight the need of adapting goals in a timely manner. An organization's priorities can change just as a mentee's career aspirations may evolve.
For instance, Sarah pivots to carbon footprint expertise when her company goes full green. A year later, the company develops financial constraints. Her mentor helps her shift focus to crafting green narratives in traditional campaigns. Sarah hones her skills in green narratives (personal goal) within cost-effective campaigns (organizational goal), demonstrating adaptability and versatility.
4. Leverage organizational resources
Exploration of in-company training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities can help mentees gain practical experience that’s aligned with organizational goals. Mentors should encourage mentees to connect with colleagues in different departments to gain wider perspectives.
Crafting Effective Mentor Meeting Agendas with Together
Your organization’s mentor meetings should be more than just personal growth sessions. Transform them into structured meetings that catalyze mutual benefit for the mentees and the company. Switching to structured meetings is the first step in achieving this synergy. And that doesn’t happen without implementing successful mentorship meeting agendas. Use Together’s mentor meeting agenda template for overall success.
Book a free demo to learn more about our mentorship platform.
