STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE MENTORING SESSIONS FOR ENTREPRENEURS.

MENTORING

Once the first discovery session has taken place (signing of the contract, minimum monthly meeting... (see+ TIP)). And then to set the final objective, the performance targets....

The structure of the second and subsequent sessions is always the same as we will explain in this TIP. In each session it is essential to be clear about what the first steps are to be covered in order to create an appropriate relationship to facilitate the development of the process.  

The 5 steps that should be clear in every mentoring session are

1. Building harmony, rapport (+), confidence.
2. More information about the entrepreneur. 
3. Know the objective of the process in more detail; what do you want to achieve?
4. Test the entrepreneur's commitment to the process he/she is about to start.
5. Closure and assessment.

We will apply these steps bearing in mind that we are accompanying/assisting people, which is why, as good professionals, we must be flexible and adapt to the pace of the entrepreneur without forgetting the objectives to be achieved.  

We detail each step to make it clearer:

STEP 1: BUILDING RAPPORT, RAPPORT AND TRUST

This first step is something transversal with which we should start all mentoring sessions and which should accompany the whole mentoring process. 

In both coaching and mentoring, our first step is to make the person feel comfortable giving us information. This is the only way to ensure their adherence to the process and its success. One of the fundamental premises for achieving this objective is to respect the beliefs (+) and values of the entrepreneur.

Evidently, this does not mean agreeing with him/her. In addition, can help to match their verbal and non-verbal language, looking for indications of their preferred system of representation.

The representational systems in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) are the channels through which the world, reality, and how we learn are perceived, channelling all information through the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. 

It is of utmost importance to be able to detect the path, the preferred channel of communication of the entrepreneur, since, Depending on this, one communication strategy or another will be established.  

Accessing the entrepreneur through his or her preferred communication channel is to increase the effect of the questions, to enhance the dynamics and to be more certain that the information is being processed in the most optimal way (unconscious level). (see+ TIP VAK apprenticeship).

• Start with Context Generationto create a climate of trust and give entrepreneurs time to decompress from their day-to-day work, don't rush into the challenges that entrepreneurs face. 

• • It is better to break the ice with questions that show interest in the entrepreneurs as people, such as "How have you been this month?

You can create the right climate for the entrepreneur to feel comfortable and trust to flow... slow down and park the stress before the session.

Create a climate of trust and refrain from proposing an improvement plan.The first step is to make a diagnosis of the real situation from which the entrepreneurial team wants to work, until a diagnosis has been made of the real situation from which the team starts. Focus on the professional relationship without forgetting the personal relationship with the entrepreneurial team, which is also very important.

If you want to see your entrepreneurs grow, create an emotional bond during the mentoring period and help them reach their full potential in their professional lives, in their startups and in their businesses.

STEP 2: EXPAND YOUR ENTREPRENEUR'S INFORMATION 

Use the questions! Feedback from the previous session: allows the connection to the methodology of the sessions, and to building trust and closeness. 

• What conclusions did you draw from the previous session?
• What have you thought about it?
• What did you learn?
• How did you feel?

Review of the Action or Results Plan: pt may be the case that the action plan has not been implemented, has been partially implemented or has been fully implemented.  

ACTION PLAN NOT IMPLEMENTED

Check the entrepreneur's commitment to his goal and process, support him/her and invite him/her to do it next time. Never scold or make the entrepreneur feel like a failure. 

• What happened?
• What do you learn from it?

ACTION PLAN PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED

In other words, either it has not been done in its entirety or the The result has been unsatisfactory. You are accompanied to redesign the action plan or choose a different one and invite you to carry it out next time. 

• What part or aspect hindered the successful outcome of the 100%?
• What have you learned?
• How do you feel?

ACTION PLAN SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED

The coach/mentor recognise and congratulate the work carried out, reinforcing their attitude, action and highlighting their degree of integrity towards commitment manifested through the process of coaching/mentoring and personal change.  

• • What have you learned?
  • How do you feel?
  • What does this say about you?

In the case of repeated failure to implement the action plan due to forgetfulness, lack of time or any other reason, the coach/mentor should not blame the entrepreneur but should make it clear to him/her and provoke awareness.

STEP 3: KNOW THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROCESS IN MORE DETAIL; WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? 

Use the questions! Identify a objective (+) clearly: to be sure that we have understood well what aspect our entrepreneur wants to improve, we must ask questions. 

• Before setting the objective of the session, ask to be sure that the objective is an achievable challenge for the entrepreneurial team. 

• • For example, you can suggest that it would be desirable to first identify the competitive advantage before investing in growth.

STEP 4: TEST THE ENTREPRENEUR'S COMMITMENT TO THE PROCESS HE/SHE IS ABOUT TO INITIATE

It is important to to know and become aware of the entrepreneur's level of commitment to the process. During the development of the process, you will be required to invest time, focus and give this process a "leading role" in your life.

It is vital to talk to the entrepreneur and explore his or her real commitment, as well as to raise and clarify possible interferences that may arise. It evaluates, on a scale or ladder, the level of commitment that the entrepreneur has to achieve the objective identified.

To do this, you can ask them about the current situation of the team with respect to the objective set, with questions such as: On a scale of 1 to 10, on which step would you place yourself today; Why can't you achieve this objective to 100%; What would you be missing to reach it? 

• Beware of excuses: help your entrepreneur to identify them.
• Get involved: closeness and "wanting" the good of our entrepreneur is good.
• You can tell them that the more you get to know them, the more you love them and the more you want them to improve their results...although some professionals prefer to keep their distance.
• Manage silences calmly to give your mentee time to reflect.

STEP 5: CLOSING SESSION. EVALUATION.

LEAVES TIME FOR THE CLOSURE OF THE SESSION:

After a good session, a realistic action plan should always be established. Also, You can set homework, but not too much homework to avoid demotivation. Encourage your entrepreneur to take a small step and to transform his or her idea that "change is difficult". 

• You can propose something simple that they can achieve effortlessly, such as reading a TIP, or help them train in achieving goals by taking small steps, such as with the Kaizen method (+).
• At the end of each sessionIt is very useful and revealing to ask the entrepreneur the following questions for reflection: 

• •  How did you feel in this session?
  • What have you learned?
  • What do you take away from today's session? (+).
  •  What has it given you?

It is important to get feedback from entrepreneursIf you ask them what you liked the most, they can give you guidance on how to carry out the next mentoring session. Bear in mind that, for some entrepreneurs, it may have been their first mentorship.

And if one day you want to get certified and accredited as a coach or mentor, don't forget to keep a logbook in which to record what you have learned, the time you spent and your impressions of the session: how it went, how I looked, what went wrong?

IN GENERAL, MENTORING SESSIONS HAVE TO BE:

• Professional.
• Relaxed.
• Open.
• Purposeful (with purpose, with objectives).

• • All sessions are online by the platform (+) they wish to agree.
  • It is better to always do it on the same day of the month and time and try not to change it. In case, it has to be replaced, alert mentoring manager so that he/she can follow up.
  • The entrepreneur should anticipate to his mentor the main problem he wants to solve in his session. The best thing to do is to update the TRELLO and share it.
  • The session has to have a purpose, i.e. one or more goals (objectives, problems, blockages...).

Whenever possible, the mentor should encourage the entrepreneur to develop his/her own solution to the problem. If the mentor has "ideas" this is the time to share them. The mentor must balance the "tug-of-war" approach. In case of doubt, The best is always "loosening up" which encourages the entrepreneur to take responsibility for the solution.

Conclusion: the mentor brings the session to a conclusion by asking the entrepreneur to assess the key points discussed and decide on the next steps based on the agreed solution. The role of the mentor is to support and challenge the entrepreneur to carry out the agreed actions, of which he/she has to feel capable.

CONTENT OF THE MENTORING SESSION

Mentoring and coaching facilitates "bridging" the gap between a starting or initial situation and an ideal entrepreneurial situationThe objective, i.e. a goal, through a series of steps or stages, which will make up the methodology chosen for this task. 

That path will be pursuedthrough, of a methodology and a series of tools that will make it possible to accompany the entrepreneur.There are different methodologies, at mentorDay we use a lot the 5C (+) method. Each author has developed his or her own; although it is true that broadly speaking, they all have the following phases in common.

PHASES: 

• Objectives. 
• Reality. 
• Options generation.
• Establishment of Action Plan.

And, of course, don't forget to build a relationship of trust and motivating in a cross-cutting way. Not every session will have all the phases, flexibility should be used as discussed above. 

The ultimate goal of most applied methodologies, is to increase the entrepreneur's personal awareness and responsibility and to put him/her into ACTION. 

THIS SHEET IN FRONT OF YOU CAN BE VERY USEFUL AS A SCRIPT THAT YOU WILL GRADUALLY INTERNALISE:

You can also consult the CLEAR model (+) po understand the structure of a session.

LEARNING METHOD FOR A MENTOR TO PRACTICE THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF MENTORING SESSIONS FOR ENTREPRENEURS:

• BUILDING RAPPORT, RAPPORT AND TRUST

  • Start the session with questions that show interest in the entrepreneur.
  • Aligning verbal and non-verbal language.
  • Detect the path, the preferred channel of communication of the entrepreneur.

• MORE INFORMATION ON THE ENTREPRENEUR:

  • Solicit feedback from the previous session.
  • Review the action or results plan.
  • Accompany the entrepreneur in redesigning the action plan if it has not been realised or has been partially realised.

• O UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE PROCESS IN MORE DETAIL

  • Identify a clear objective.
  • Probing through questions.
  • Ensure that the objective is an achievable challenge for the entrepreneur.

• TEST THE DEGREE OF COMMITMENT OF THE ENTREPRENEUR TO THE PROCESS HE/SHE IS ABOUT TO INITIATE

  • Talk to the entrepreneur and explore his or her real commitment.
  • Assess the degree of commitment of the entrepreneur on a scale or ladder.
  • Identify possible interferences that may arise.

• CLOSING SESSION. EVALUATION

  • Set a realistic action plan.
  • Leave simple homework.
  • Ask the entrepreneur for his or her evaluation of the session.
  • Keep a logbook to record learning and impressions of the session.

As for the content of the session, the 5C method can be applied, which consists of the following phases: objectives, reality, generation of options, establishment of an Action Plan and building a trusting and motivating relationship across the board.

The aim is to increase the entrepreneur's personal awareness and responsibility and put it into action. It is important to apply flexibility in each session and to adapt to the pace of the entrepreneur.