Earlier this week I was chatting with an associate, who like so many others, had transitioned to working from home. I happened to know that in normal times she and her mentor met regularly once a week, but they hadn’t discussed what would happen to their meetings in the current environment. I encouraged her to initiate the same routine with him remotely, and she immediately brightened at the prospect.
Even if you don’t already have a regular check-in like this associate and her mentor, why not start one now? The fact is, in these times when we’ve lost the routine of going into the office, and we’re being asked to keep our physical distance from others, maintaining connection is more important than ever. And here’s the thing, it’s easier than you think.
A few suggestions to improve your odds:
Set Up a Regular Meeting Day and Time
Agree on a regular meeting day and time. Without a regular placeholder in your calendar, it’s too easy for two weeks, and then two months, to pass by without touching base. Sure, client work and other commitments might come up that require you to reschedule, but without something holding the place in your calendar it’s too easy for your mentor relationship to take a back seat.
Choose Your On-Line Platform
Even if you had an established regular meeting before, it was probably face-to-face. Maybe it was a short meeting every Monday morning, or lunch once a month at your favourite restaurant. If your home office is a mess, or you’re not technically savvy, you can always opt for an old fashioned telephone call. If you do, just make sure you avoid distractions, and stay focused.
Better yet, if you haven’t already worked with any of the available on-line options, you should give them a try. In the current environment you’ll probably have to use them to host client meetings, and work on team projects anyway. Why not practice and become an expert at it in a low stakes environment? You might even make learning about your platform the purpose of one or more of your meetings. Which leads me to the next point.
Articulate a Purpose or Goal
Give your meetings a purpose. Like any other meeting you take part in, have an agenda, even if it’s informal. Think about what you want to get from your meeting, and come prepared.
If you’re an associate, in what ways can your mentor be helping you? What knowledge, expertise or experience does your mentor have that you’d like to tap into? Is there anything you’d like to run past your mentor, or anything you’d like your mentor’s advice on?
If you’re a mentor, in what ways can you be supportive? What knowledge, expertise or experience do you have that your mentee could benefit from? And remember the best mentoring is a two-way street. Is there anything you’d like to run past your mentee, or anything you’d like your mentee’s assistance with? Like maybe how to master the on-line platform you’re using…