So you’ve finally found yourself a mentor who shares your values and life aspirations? Kudos to you! But now for the next step. You need to make sure you’re prepared to ask your newly found life coach the right questions to take advantage of your first meeting. In your first meeting, the most important thing to remember is to ask questions that show interest, gain insight, offer information about yourself, and get to know your mentor all at the same time. But how do you ask powerful questions that provide all of the information you need in such a limited time? Read our top 3 questions to ask your mentor to get yourself started!
Top 3 Questions to Ask Your Mentor
What mistakes led you to your successes?
Be sure to include a series of questions that hone in on your mentor’s skill-building process. This question knocks out two birds with one stone. It invites your mentor to describe both his or her weaknesses and elaborate on his or her successes. By asking about both strengths and weaknesses, you will gain insight as to how the two can be related and how to make the best of unfavorable situations. Additionally, your mentor is likely to identify and elaborate on his or her greatest accomplishments and give you advice on what could have been executed differently. Listen closely because you might find out something you’ve never even thought of before.
How do you spend your free time?
Not only does finding out what your mentor does to relax and unwind allow you to get to know them on a personal level, it also bridges the conversation from professional to personal development and provides insight on how all areas of your life can and should be dynamic and connected. Pay special attention to the answer to this question––you never know what you might learn!
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time?
Asking any question that indicates self-awareness gives you the most insight on your mentor’s career successes. This question paves the way for a much more personal conversation that builds trust and imparts valuable wisdom. It’s important to build a relationship with your mentor that opens the conversation to both career-driven thoughts and personal facts on past lessons learned.
By thoughtfully preparing for your first mentoring session, you’ll be guaranteed to get more out of it and your relationship with your mentor is likely to be much more successful. Happy mentoring!
