All of us would benefit from being mentored and making ourselves available to mentor others in our Faith Community.

Mentoring is an essential tool in achieving success, influence and maintaining a healthy God honouring life. Mentoring is best developed out of relationship so we encourage you first to join a Business Group and look for those within the group who may be able to support, guide and encourage you. Find out who is in a similar industry or has prior experience in your area of interest and reach out to them. Talk to your Group leader about potential individuals within the Group or others within LIFE’s business community that they know.

Once connected it is your responsibility to value the mentor’s time. Be really clear what you are asking for. If you have a business, send the mentor a business plan that outlines the vision, strategy and financial viability of what you are doing. For professionals, provide an outline of your goals and timeframes.

Typically, mentoring relationships are for a season of time, we would recommend that if a first meeting is productive and there is a good connection, it is viewed as a 12-month commitment which would involve touching base once a quarter as a coffee, call or online meeting. The mentoring relationship should be reviewed at the end of this period. The below highlights the basic expectations of the relationship.

Mentors:
• Provide guidance, motivation and support from a faith-based perspective.
• Share with a mentee information about their own career path.
• Help with vision, strategy, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources.
• Help the mentee solve their challenges themselves rather than instruct.
• Maintain confidentiality about discussions and ideas.
A mentor is advised not to:
• Provide free professional services.
• Sell or market their professional services as part of their serving as a LIFE Business mentor. Should the mentee choose to engage the mentor for providing professional services, that is their choice and that then becomes a commercial engagement outside of LIFE.

Mentees:
• Ask questions and listen. Use your mentor as a ‘Sounding Board’ to bounce ideas, strategy and direction off.
• Should not expect their mentor to complete any work for them or provide them any financial aid.
• To be responsible to make first contact with mentor and for follow up.
• Prepare for meetings, respecting your mentor’s time.
• Be open to change and willing to try different approaches.
• Make your own decisions. The mentor advice is based on limited information and does not have to be taken.
• To engage fully and honestly with your mentor.