NAIFA Mentor Loop: First Mentoring Meeting

First Mentoring Meeting

Ready for your first meeting? Let's go! Here are a few tools both mentors and mentees will need to make the most out of their first meeting - from setting expectations to goal-setting.

First Meeting Checklist

Make a good first impression by being prepared for what to do and how to do it before, during and after your first meeting.

Mentors

Before

Check out your mentee's LinkedIn profile.
Send a quick bio or intro through the Mentorloop chat.
Ask your mentee to introduce themselves.
Think about your own experiences and strengths.
Consider what you want to get out of this relationship.

During

Set parameters.
Introductions!
Why are you here?
Why are they here?

After

Review and reflect.
Share resources.
Encourage your mentee to schedule your next catch up.

Mentees

Before

Check out your mentor's LinkedIn profile.
Send a quick bio or intro through the Mentorloop chat.
Consider your goals.
Help them help you - consider your needs.
Think about the who, what, when, where, and how.

During

Drive the relationship.
Clearly present your goals.
Ask for what you need.
Seek feedback.

After

Follow-up with a summary email.
Reflect on actionable items.
Be grateful.

The Mentoring Agreement

Document the who, how, why and what of your mentoring plan early so you can get down to enjoying the reciprocal and potentially career-changing relationship with a new connection. Your agreement should define:

Frequency of communication.
Type of communication.
Recording of communication.
Mentee goals.
Mentor goals.
Expectation of achievement.
Confidentiality.

We have developed a model NAIFA Mentor-Mentee Agreement to help you define these expectations and create mutual accountability between mentor and mentee.

The Power of Goal-Setting

Not sure how goal-setting can help you and your career? These eight factors can help you understand how helpful goal-setting can be for you.

Creates a sense of purpose.
Ensures you have clear, focused intentions.
Helps overcome procrastination.
Fosters better time management.
Drives motivation.
Helps achieve better and faster results.
Fosters accountability.
Helps measure progress.

Setting SMART Goals

Setting goals is a must-do during your first mentor/mentee meeting. Make sure these goals are SMART.

S - Specific: When? How? Where? With who?
M - Measurable: Put a number on it.
A - Attainable: Be realistic.
R - Relevant: Align goals with values and long-term objectives.
T - Time-Bound: Create a timeline to follow or meet deadlines.

Goal-Setting Framework

Follow the Mentorloop goal-setting framework to assist in establishing the type of goals you are looking to achieve and ensuring they are practical and useful.

Figure Out Your Goals: Set aside five minutes to brainstorm/mind-dump of all of the short, medium and long-term goals that come to mind.
1. After five minutes, prioritize the goals you wish to achieve on the goals page of your Mentorloop dashboard.
Create Three Types of Goals: Goals should be categorized into habit-forming, reach and stretch goals.
1. Habit-Forming: Goals that you would like to become habitual behaviors and should take 4-8 weeks to achieve.
2. Reach: Goals that will require you to take significant steps and should take 3-12 months to achieve.
3. Stretch: Goals that are out of reach currently, but are aspirational and should take 2-5 years to achieve.
Create Three Phases of Each Goal
1. Take the Step: Get out of your comfort zone and make it easy to achieve.
2. The Meat: The main action phase.
3. Home Stretch: Close the goal and unlock new potential goals.

Navigation

NAIFA Mentor Loop User Agreement
Getting Started: The Mentorloop System
Grow Together & Leveling Up

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM