Coaching and Mentoring 2 L 007
So how do I find the right person to coach or mentor me? Good Question. After answering the question ‘why do I want a coach / mentor?’ and figuring out what you want from them, the following may be a helpful way of approaching the challenge. Making a list in answer to these questions / suggestions is likely to help you clarify your thinking and be clear with anyone that you approach
First of all pray. It is highly likely that God is interested in you forming such a relationship and will want to guide you. Be prepared for ideas, impressions to come and for the most casual conversation to lead to unexpected connections.
Then be intentional about it. Let it be known that you are on the look-out for someone. Speak to trusted friends and explain what you are after. Those who know you well are likely to be able to help. It’s quite likely that the person you need to ask is someone you already know and trust. It is likely that they are someone you respect and admire. Someone you feel you could be honest with. Someone you would trust to tell you a home truth. Someone you think could teach you a thing or two!
When you have an idea of who you would like to ask, run it by a couple of people for a reality check (for example I might want to ask Nicky Gumbel to mentor me but that is not particularly realistic is it?). Then ask. Ask if you can meet up with the person, let them know what it is about and why you are asking them. When you meet be clear about the why question and what you hope to get from them. Talk about expectations, talk about how you think their input would make a significant difference to your life. If you can, try and think about it from their point of view – what’s in it for them, how might they enjoy or benefit from the relationship
Agree a time schedule and frequency of meetings and set out some initial framework for what you might want to talk about. The clearer you can be about what you want, the more you will get from the experience. Keep the process under review, so that you can adjust how its working before it becomes a difficult conversation. Build in review times and continue to recalibrate on expectation. Above all – be grateful and show your appreciation. Say what you feel you are learning, and how you are putting into practice what you have learnt. Whenever you have an appointment coming up, send through some of the questions you would like to discuss so you can both be prepared, so you can make the most of the time. Keep some notes of what you talk about and key things you want to implement.
Enjoy the learning experience and be prepared to do the same for someone else one day
