The PEGG

January 2002

38 Activities Help Lead Mentees to Positive Results

In the last edition of The PEGG we outlined the skills required to be a good mentee and listed the things that must be done to ensure a good mentoring relationship. This time we are going to list the suggested activities you can complete as you work with your mentor. They are suggestions only; they can be tailored to you specific needs and need not necessarily follow the order in which they are presented.

Preparing for the relationship
1) Talk with your manager about your participation
2) Complete any application procedures required by your company or APEGGA
3) Attend any program kickoff which may include an APEGGA training seminar
4) Read through the mentee’s guide provided in the training seminar by APEGGA
5) Review your past mentoring experiences (if any)
6) Prepare your development plan
7) Get paired with your mentor
8) Think through how you want the relationship to work
9) Keep a log of your interactions

Implementing the relationship
10) Meet with your mentor
11) Obtain more information about him or her in advance
12) Meet with you manager again to discuss potential projects that align with your tentative goals
13) Arrange a three-way meeting among you, your mentor and your manager
14) List your goals for development
15) Share with your mentor any feedback received on your strengths and weaknesses
16) Discuss what you expect to receive, the roles each of you will carry out, any limits, the potential times to meet, the length of the relationship and the date of the next meeting
17) Make any changes in your development plan
18) Have your mentor introduce you to people who can help
19) Study and be prepared to discuss resources given to you by the mentor
20) Attend key meetings with your mentor and determine your role there
21) Debrief after the meeting
22) Exchange information with other mentees
23) Keep meeting regularly with mentor
24) Follow through promptly on all commitments made to mentor
25) Contact individuals suggested by your mentor and let him know how these interactions turned out
26) Learn directly from the mentor about his/her career story and specific techniques used
27) Ask for constructive feedback on your ideas and performance
28) Ask specific questions about the organization, including policies, procedures, culture
and politics
29) Ask for coaching on a presentation you must make
30) Complete evaluation activities provided by the APEGGA system
31) Regularly show appreciation for your mentor’s time and interest
32) Regularly provide information about the relationship to you organization’s program
coordinator (if one exists)

Reviewing Accomplishments and Taking Next Steps
33) Toward the end of the relationship, reflect on what you’ve accomplished 34) Complete final evaluation activities provided by the APEGGA system
35) Follow up your closure meeting with a letter of thanks
36) Complete any program closure activities required by your company or APEGGA
37) Continue to touch base with your mentor in the future
38) Consider another mentoring relationship

The APEGGA Mentoring Program is being developed in Calgary. If there is corporate
support, it will be continued and in about 12 months, it will be available throughout
Alberta. Phone Len Shrimpton, P.Eng., in the APEGGA office in Edmonton at
1-800-661-7020 for information about your company’s participation in the program.
APEGGA has hired a consultant to help in the development of the mentoring program.
Dr. Judith Lentin, P.Geol., is available to make presentations to your company about
the APEGGA Mentoring Program. She is available at (403) 264-1073 or by e-mail at
judith.lentin@thementors.com.