FAQs

What is a Mentor?
Broadly speaking a mentor is someone who has experience in life and in the specific work you want to be supported in doing e.g. management, and who is willing and able to share that experience and their broader skills and knowledge to support, encourage, guide and teach you. They are an experienced person who assists you to set important goals and develop the skills to reach them. They provide coaching, listening, advice and unstructured help.

How does mentoring work - what do you do?
Ideally a mentor should clarify and gently challenge you in terms of how you approach your life and your work. They should be able to offer insight, provide conceptual frameworks, give constructive feedback and generally enhance your personal and professional growth and development.

Your mentor does this by talking with you (e.g. about your experiences, goals, plans, skills, career path, strategies for problem solving and working with others etc.). They should be able to provide you with examples, ideas and strategies through sharing their own experiences, offering reading and other resources and generally allowing you to explore your ideas in a safe and supportive relationship.
Interactions of this nature can take place face-to-face or via telephone or email or a combination of these medium. In formal mentoring time is made for regular interaction over a significant period of time.
To be effective both the mentor and yourself should aim for realistic and focused goals, talk honestly about your expectations, limits, preferred way of interacting, and ultimately how you complete the relationship.
The mentoring process works by helping you to reflect on and learn from your current experiences. The focus should be on your needs, issues, challenges, hopes and dreams, development, goals and plans.

What's in it for me?
There are many ways in which you gain from being mentored. The benefits vary depending on the purpose and focus of mentoring.  For example, in general you may gain:

• Enhanced negotiation skills
• Renewed motivation
• Increased focus on your career and life plans
• Improved interpersonal skills
• Expanded view points and awareness
• Greater awareness of your strengths and how to use them
• Greater sense of purpose and satisfaction
• Greater self confidence
• Empowerment
• Greater self understanding

If mentoring is for work related development you are likely to also:

• Get the job done better
• Increase your capacities
• Be more self-directed, take more initiative
• Improve self monitoring of performance
• Reduce stress and frustration
• Get along better with team and managers

What's in it for my business or organisation?
From a business our organisational point of view mentoring offers:

• Relatively low financial outlay
• Improved communications
• Maximisation of human resources
• Greater productivity
• Higher staff motivation
• Increased staff morale
• Tailored training and development that meets individual needs as well as those of the organisation
• Heightened awareness of and better alignment to organisational values and goals
• Support for employees -especially those exhibiting stress or discontent
• Managers with enhanced people management skills
• Lower risk of work-place stress and /or personal grievances
• Staff who are more resilient to and better able to adapt to change, challenge and diversity
• Reduced demands on executive and senior managers

How much mentoring is needed?
Mentoring tends to work best when it is regular and ongoing for sufficient time to allow a supportive and trusting relationship to develop. Sessions generally need to be between 45 and 60 minutes in duration. Ten or more sessions over twelve months is a good rule of thumb however more frequent sessions may be helpful at least initially and conversely much can often be achieved in fewer sessions and a shorter time-frame.
Progressions offer a range of options as packages as well as individualised "casual" sessions. We do not believe in persisting with mentoring once the individual is confident and demonstrating  sound work and life habits. We will usually recommend ending the relationship once this is clear.
Sometimes ongoing mentoring is desired as a support service to individual staff or an individual may choose to maintain a long-term relationship as professional 'supervision'. We are happy to discuss your needs and to provide objective and reasoned advice about ongoing mentoring.

What does it cost?
Progressions offer a range of packages for businesses and individuals who want to establish an ongoing mentoring programme (usually for 12mths). There are several payment options (with discounts) to assist in spreading the costs if necessary. We also offer POA where a more casual arrangement is required. And Progressions has a community commitment that means we reserve some places for people who may be unable to meet the cost of a personal mentor - please ask us on our inquiry form.  Prices are available on request and pre-pay prices are listed under SERVICES in this website.

Is mentoring like coaching or counselling?
Coaching and mentoring share many similarities. A common thread is that both coaching and mentoring offer a vehicle for analysis, reflection and action that ultimately enables the client to achieve success in one or more areas of their life and/or work.
Coaching is offered on the basis that the coach may not have direct experience of their client's role whereas generally a mentor will have had experience of performing that role or a significant aspect of it. As a result a mentor is more likely to offer solutions and direct the client to actions that are known to be most effective, whereas a coach is likely to be less directive and allow their client to find and choose options and actions that are entirely self-driven.
Neither coaching nor mentoring is therapy. There may be some key models and techniques adopted by mentors and coaches that come from psychology however coaching and mentoring do not seek to resolve deeper underlying issues. Instead coaching and mentoring are more concerned with the practical issue of achieving results.
Coaching and mentoring is generally commenced on the premise that clients are reasonably self-aware and functioning at a 'normal' level in life. A well trained and experienced coach or mentor will monitor their clients' progress and watch for signs that a client might require assessment by a trained therapist. A mentoring programme may be conducted in parallel with therapeutic intervention or the mentor might prefer the client to complete therapy at least to a reasonable level before mentoring takes place.
At Progressions we are aware of and committed to maintaining the boundaries between coaching & mentoring and therapy. We are happy to collaborate with therapists if appropriate.

Is it best to be face-to-face for mentoring?
People often feel that for mentoring to be effective they need to see and be with their mentor.
Effective mentoring can take place in person (face-to-face) via telephone or via email or in any combination of these.
At Progressions we are happy to conduct mentoring in person where time and proximity allows and the client prefers however we find that telephone mentoring is a very efficient option and this is borne out by research.

Some of the key benefits to using phone mentoring include;

• Confidential, no-one turning up regularly to see you and be seen by family and/or work colleagues
• No distraction, phone mentoring provides 100% focus.
• No limits to where you are - Progressions has mentored clients in other countries as well as across New Zealand.
• Saves time, with phone mentoring it's straight to your goals.
• More cost effective than face-to-face mentoring (rates are kept low due to lower overheads and greater focus means time required is less)
• Convenient, relaxing and enjoyable. Phone mentoring can be conducted when you want, while in the comfort of your home/office.

We often use email between mentoring sessions or to send information. There is no charge for this and the cost of toll calls is included in the session fees.

Our organisation already has an internal (in-house) mentoring programme, why would I use an external mentor?
Internal mentoring programmes are excellent and we encourage businesses and organisations to establish their own mentoring programme. Being a mentor within your organisation can be as enhancing of your development and performance as it is of the person you mentor.
There are some challenges with in-house mentoring relationships. They require time from the usual responsibilities of the mentoring employees. Sometimes the mentored staff members have expectations in terms of time and expertise that the internal mentor cannot meet or has difficulty addressing. The internal mentor will transfer their prejudices and habits to other staff, this may be a positive outcome where the habits are those the organisation would like of all its employees however many habits and prejudices will be less acceptable.
External or formal mentoring can break the isolation in many workplace roles where asking for help may be seen (or may be perceived as likely to be seen) as a sign of weakness or incompetence. Often the necessary support is not available from colleagues or managers. In addition external mentors bring fresh ideas, perceptions and insights and an objective view point to the individual and their organisation.
External mentoring is not a substitute for a sound internal mentoring programme; it is an ideal alternative or complementary process.

How do I get started?
If you know your requirements complete a booking form online now. Or send an enquiry online to find out more. You can also call us at Progressions to discuss your needs and options or to book. Once you have booked your sessions you will receive a "Welcome" pack and your first appointment will be confirmed at this time. We will ask you to complete a pre-mentoring form so we have some general information about you, and we will introduce you to your mentor. You mentor will contact you at the agreed time for your fist appointment, or will meet you at the agreed time and place if you have arranged personal face-to-face sessions.

Getting started is a simple as completing a form NOW, or making a brief phone call to Janett @ +64 6 836 6362 or =64 27 438 2467
We are waiting to hear from you and look forward to taking you from stress to success!