6 Undeniable Benefits of Having a Mentor for students

IvyPanda is a student success hub designed to improve the educational outcomes and learning capabilities of students around the world by connecting them with academic experts and by providing highly-efficient self-study services and online tools.

And they have been writing about the impact of a mentor, and they mean that for many students having a mentor is a life-changing experience. Here are some of the advantages of having a mentor from IvyPanda:

  1. It helps set and track individualized goals. Together with a mentor, you can work on setting individual short and long-term objectives and developing an action plan. Such an intentional weekly interaction helps achieve a lot in college, career, and life.
  2. It improves self-awareness and decision-making. An essential component of working with a mentor is self-reflection. If you regularly practice reflection with your mentor, you can assess your strengths and recognize areas for self-improvement.
  3. It allows for constructive and supportive feedback. When working with a mentor, you get helpful and timely feedback that can boost your progress. Having a mentor also creates an opportunity to address any issue quickly and resolve it on the spot.
  4. It offers psychological support. A mentoring relationship is a safe space for you to grow spiritually without fear of judgment and receive reassurance from someone you trust. The opportunity to share your feelings with someone else eases stress and anxiety.
  5. It creates the foundation for a lasting personal network. In many cases, the relationship between a mentor and a mentee remains even after college graduation. In other words, mentoring creates a special bond that you might find helpful throughout your life.
  6. It offers a diversity of perspectives and experiences. College offers plenty of extracurricular activities. You can consult with your mentor to learn more about them and find activities that best fit your needs.

This is a part of an article from IvyPanda see the whole article by clicking on the name.

EMCC Global Conference in Prague

European, Mentoring & Coaching Council are delighted to announce that the 2023 EMCC Global Mentoring, Coaching, and Supervision Conference will be a LIVE event and will take place at the Corinthia Hotel in Prague, on 9th and 10th June 2023. So just a few days left…

Dr. Rıza Kadılar
Here is a message from the EMCC Global President – Dr Riza Kadilar

Dear members of our EMCC community,

After a few years of needing to stay online, I’m so thrilled and happy to let you know that our yearly conference in June will allow us to meet in person in the lovely city of Prague.

This will be a «come back” after our excellent conference in Dublin in 2019. That’s why our main goal will be to bring a traditional inclusive, warm and welcoming atmosphere – to enable our community to hug, meet, share and learn from each other. Let’s make this our warmest Conference to date!

I encourage you to apply to contribute as a speaker and/or to book your place and travel plans as soon as possible, in order to avoid any last-minute disappointment due to relatively limited capacity.

Looking forward to seeing you all there…!!!

Dr. Rıza Kadılar

Why should I manifest?

It looks like one of the popular buzz word for the time being is MANIFESTING, but what does it mean and should I try it?

Manifesting is the practice of focusing your thoughts, beliefs, and intentions on a specific outcome or desire in order to bring it into your reality. The idea behind manifesting is that by aligning your thoughts and emotions with what you want to achieve or receive, you can attract and manifest those desires into your life.

There are different approaches to manifesting, but the underlying principle is based on the belief in the power of thoughts and the law of attraction. The law of attraction suggests that like attracts like, meaning that positive thoughts and emotions can attract positive experiences and outcomes.

By consciously directing your thoughts, visualizing your goals, and maintaining a positive mindset, you can increase the likelihood of achieving what you desire. The process often involves setting clear intentions, affirming positive statements, practicing gratitude, and taking inspired actions towards your goals.

It’s important to note that while manifesting can be a powerful tool for personal growth and goal achievement, it is not a magical solution or guarantee of instant results. It requires consistent effort, belief in oneself, and a willingness to take action in alignment with your intentions.

Manifesting can be seen as a way to tap into your own inner potential and create a mindset that is conducive to achieving your desired outcomes. It can help you clarify your goals, develop a positive attitude, and stay focused on your aspirations.

Photo: From «The chic life» run by Diana, click on the picture and go straight to the page for more about manifesting and Laws of attraction.

ChatGPT – Being a mentor for the first time

Becoming a mentor for the first time is an exciting and rewarding experience. It means you have an opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with someone who is eager to learn from you. While mentoring can be a fulfilling experience, it can also be daunting, especially if you are unsure of how to go about it. In this article, we’ll explore some tips on how to be a successful mentor for the first time.

  1. Understand your role as a mentor

Before embarking on your journey as a mentor, it is essential to understand your role. As a mentor, you are responsible for guiding and supporting your mentee to achieve their goals. You will need to provide them with advice, feedback, and guidance to help them grow and develop. You will also need to be patient, understanding, and willing to listen to their concerns.

  1. Set clear expectations

It is essential to set clear expectations with your mentee from the outset. You should establish what you hope to achieve from the mentoring relationship, and what your mentee wants to get out of it. You should also set clear goals and objectives, and establish a timeline for achieving them. This will help to ensure that you and your mentee are working towards a common goal.

  1. Establish regular communication

Regular communication is key to a successful mentoring relationship. You should establish how often you will meet or communicate with your mentee and stick to this schedule. Regular communication will help you to track progress, provide feedback, and address any issues that may arise.

  1. Be a good listener

One of the most important qualities of a successful mentor is being a good listener. You need to be willing to listen to your mentee’s concerns, questions, and ideas. You should also be willing to give them your undivided attention and provide feedback that is constructive and helpful.

  1. Provide constructive feedback

Providing constructive feedback is an essential part of being a mentor. You should provide feedback that is specific, actionable, and relevant. Feedback should be focused on the mentee’s goals and objectives, and it should be delivered in a way that is respectful and encouraging.

  1. Share your knowledge and experience

As a mentor, you are responsible for sharing your knowledge and experience with your mentee. You should be willing to share your successes and failures, and provide advice on how to overcome challenges. You should also be willing to share any resources or contacts that may be helpful to your mentee.

  1. Be patient and supportive

Being patient and supportive is crucial to the success of any mentoring relationship. You should be patient with your mentee as they learn and grow, and be supportive of their efforts. You should also be willing to offer encouragement and praise when your mentee achieves their goals.

In conclusion, being a mentor for the first time can be a fulfilling experience, but it requires patience, dedication, and a willingness to learn. By following these tips, you can build a strong and productive mentoring relationship with your mentee, and help them to achieve their goals. Remember that being a mentor is not just about imparting knowledge, but also about building a relationship of trust, respect, and support.

Reach your goals by coaching yourself


If you don't have a mentor or coach, but you wanted to try to coach yourself. Is it possible? Yes it is, but much harder than if you get a mentor or coach.

It may sound strange to you, but working with obstacles is often where you really get to know yourself. This is also where you find a deeper and more honest path to your goals. You can try the following exercise:

Ask yourself two questions:

1. What is stopping me from reaching my goal?

2. What am I really afraid of in relation to my goal?


Write down your answers and make a list of all your obstacles.

Note to self: 
Avoid superficial explanations such as lack of time, insight and resources.

Instead, examine whether there is anything you fear about the process of achieving the goal.

When you do this work with yourself, the answer will maybe be a form of fear that is not necessarily rooted in reality...

Photo by madison lavern on Unsplash.com

  

Amazon mentoring program

I read that Amazon had a mentoring program for their employee through Mike Kang in Chronus and his newsletter. The Amazon mentoring team and Mike Chan even had a webinar where they talked about why mentoring is a top priority in Amazon, what types of programs they’re currently running (and for what purposes), how they’re measuring impactful mentoring and how Amazon has scaled its programs to more than 179,000 employees. 

I have earlier (November 2019) write about Amazon and their peer-to-peer mentoring at Amazon work

Watch this fireside chat with Amazon’s Melony Menard, Senior Program Manager, Global Learning and Development, and Carla Love, Program Manager, Global Learning and Development to learn more about:

  • Why mentoring is a top priority at Amazon
  • The variety of programs Amazon is currently running
  • How they’re measuring impactful mentoring
  • How Amazon scales its programs

Visit their website her:

Chronus

Listen to the webinar her, its about one hour:

Webinar

The talk – a new podcast from MentorGuru

I have launched a new podcast called «The talk» at Spotify, in the beginning it will be in Norwegian, but some episodes will also be in English.

So if you know or wants to hear/learn Norwegian a link to the Spotify and start listening, there is 5 episodes out already…

Using SWOT as an personal tool

Design thinking approach in designing your life

Her is the book and its also a workbook you can buy: https://designingyour.life/the-book/#

Many of you felt something was missing when finished education and starting your first job, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans at Stanford University thought the same for their students. And after teaching design in Stanford University for several years, they realized that their students didn’t have much of an idea about how to kick off their new lives after they graduate. They needed help to design their lives.

Therefore, they created the “Designing Your Life” elective course in Stanford to teach their students how to apply design thinking to their lives and build their careers with fulfillment and joy. The course became the most popular elective in Stanford. Shortly after, its fame expanded to the tech companies in Silicon Valley. Google even has an internal group of facilitators to deliver the “Designing Your Life” program to its employees. For the ones who cannot attend live workshops in the US, Burnett and Evans wrote the book, “Designing Your Life” to share what they teach with the rest of the world.

I saw this very interesting article on Kingstown College website.

Read more about Designing you life and Sinem Bahadırlı and here why into the design thinking world.

3 steps to plan your success

Planning is half the job and the results are only as good as your plan

Its a lot of different sayings, but does it make us plan? Does the difference between failure and success lays in a plan? I don’t know, but I do now that with a plan you are more focused… And I believe in focus — focus will get you there.

  1. Sit down and make a plan and set goals.
  2. Just do what your plan says
  3. Reflect over the plan, what you have been done and the outcome

You maybe think this sounds very easy and maybe to easy, but before you reject it try it first.

I think it is so simple, make a plan with goals, do it and then reflect over the result…