Recommended good practice is for mentees to spend at least 30 minutes in quiet reflection after a mentoring conversation. It’s important to set this expectation both for the mentee and their boss! It’s helpful to use the following headings to structure this reflection:
Issues
- What topics did we explore?
- Where these expected or unexpected?
- Did we dig into them in sufficient depth?
- What other issues arose, which I need to think about?
- What’s left to explore about this issue in our next mentoring session?
Insights
- What do I now see differently?
- What do I now see that I didn’t see before?
- What did I learn about myself?
- What did I learn about others?
- What did I learn about my situation?
- What did I learn about this issue more generally?
Ideas
- What creative thinking occurred?
- What opportunities have opened up for me?
- What new concepts did we explore?
- What new ways do I now have of tackling the issues I need to manage?
Intentions
- What further thinking do I need to do about this?
- Who else do I need or want to talk to about this?
- Who else’s opinion do I want to seek?
- What specific actions am I now going to take?
- How will I make sure I do take those actions?
- How will I measure progress?
- What do I want to bring to the next mentoring session?
By Professor David Clutterbuck
