Mentoring me Mentoring You

We're back!  After a 4 month hiatus Brenda and Les are back chatting about all things business mentoring.  Well almost!  In this episode they  talk about how dealing with a personal health issue can affect you -both in your personal life and business life, as Brenda reflects on her recent cancer diagnosis. 

In this week's episode Les and Brenda discuss the skill of listening and it's importance in business mentoring.   A good business mentor will listen to understand, not to respond - but what does this mean?  Les and Brenda chat about the different levels of listening, as well as the power of silence.  They also chat about how to listen beyond the words.   So, tune in and have a listen.....

Join Brenda and Les as they discuss the difference between a Business Mentor and a Business Coach - and how the line can become  blurred for both the mentor and the client.    They look at definitions of Business Mentoring and explore how the extensive business experience of a Mentor is what can set them apart from a Coach.   For the ABMs definition follow this link   As always whether you are a Mentor or a Coach please join in the discussion.

In the latest episode Brenda and Les talk about the power and importance of having a business mentor and dive into their favourite analogies from helping clients to 'untangle the spaghetti in their heads' to 'being an echo chamber'.   Having a business mentor can still sometimes be perceived as a sign of weakness and they set out to debunk this myth, and empahsise the importance of providing business leaders and senior executives with time and space to focus on their own development, as well as driving the growth of the business.    You don't have to be that stag at the top of the mountain alone - invest in a business mentor.

Join Brenda and Les as the delve into the first chapter of their book - Addressing the Stag Syndrome - which looks at the use of models within mentoring practice. In the podcast they discuss when and how to use models, go into detail  on two models - GROW and ELECTRIC - and remind the listener that whilst models are a good framework they should act as guiding principles rather than prescriptive formulae.   As a mentor grows in experience they will start to evolve and adapt models to suit their own style and approach - that is what makes every mentor unique.   Join in the conversation in the comments below by sharing your views on the use of models to structure a mentoring session.

Join Brenda and Les, just back from the National Mentoring Matters conference in London, where the theme was AI and how it might impact the business mentoring profession.   In the podcast Brenda and Les reflect on their key learnings from the conference and share with each other where they are on their own AI adoption journeys. They also discuss whether AI will remove the need for business mentors in the future - but challenge if it can ever replace the warmth, empathy and respect of a human, or be as good at picking up on the nuances of our clients - often what is not being said is the most important part!     Book Link Brenda Linkedin Les Linkedin

Welcome to our introduction to Mentoring Me Mentoring You, where Les Gill and I - Brenda Etchells - share with you our thinking behind this new podcast. We are two business mentors who like to chat about our profession - learning from each other with every conversation.  This led to us co-authoring our book "Addressing the Stag Syndrome" - a guide to successful business mentoring. In this introductory episode Les explains the concept behind the Stag Syndrome and why we believe that business owners and leaders don't have to go it alone. So, don't be a stag, and join in the conversation by liking and subscribing to this podcast. Book Link Brenda Linkedin Les Linkedin