Mission: To empower emerging leaders (mentees) in the global events industry to better serve the MPI Potomac Chapter with leadership excellence by collaborating with experienced leaders (mentors).

What is Mentorship? 

Mentorship is the relationship developed between two people where the individual with more experience, knowledge, and connections (Mentor) can share and impart their knowledge and expertise to another individual within a certain field (Mentee).

Research has shown that mentoring is an effective tool used to foster professional development through coaching, knowledge transfer, and experience sharing. Despite your experience, age, employment status, location, or business, mentoring is inclusive and offers an informal way to expand your knowledge and grow both professionally and personally.

• A mentor is a coach, guide, tutor, facilitator, counselor and trusted advisor. A mentor is someone willing to spend his or her time and expertise to guide the development of another person but doesn’t always have to be a teacher.
• A mentee is someone who wants to learn from someone who knows and seeks their valuable advice to grow personally and/or professionally.

Mentorship is a two-way process and is successful when both benefit from what hopefully becomes a lifelong friendship and learning experience.

Benefits of Mentorship

The mentor benefits because they can help lead future generations by passing along best practices, wisdom, and experiences giving them a sense of purpose and value.

The mentee benefits because they have expressed that they are ready to take their career to the next level, can gain new skills, have access to new resources, and will receive the additional support needed to make that advancement.

Flexible and manageable time commitment means that both Mentor/Mentee can learn from each other as their schedules permit. 

To learn more about MPI Potomac’s Mentorship Program, please email MPIPotomacMentorship@gmail.com.

 

Role of the Mentee

·       Schedule initial meeting with Mentor and be on time.

·       Establishing goals based on your needs. Set meeting expectations in the beginning and ensure meetings are scheduled in advance. 

·       Be prepared to discuss your questions, short and long-term goals, and any topics you feel you would like advice on. Provide agendas in advance of each meeting.

·       Being an active listener.

·       Maintaining confidentiality.

·       Recognizing the importance of the Mentor's time.

·       Having a willingness to request and act on feedback.

·       Following through with recommendations.

·       Communicate with Mentor on a regular basis.

·       Complete a midyear and a final Evaluation Form at the end of program.

·       Learn and Have Fun!

Tips to Help Establish Goals

Your goals can form the basis of your early conversations with your Mentor. Goals should be SMART:

·       Specific

·       Measurable

·       Actionable

·       Realistic

·       Timely

  Role of the Mentor

·       Your Mentee will contact you to schedule the initial meeting and any subsequent meetings. Remember to guide the relationship, the quest for information and the substance of the partnership.

·       Discuss your expectations of the program with Mentee.

·       Confirm and keep all scheduled appointments with your Mentee.

·       Highlight industry events that you and your Mentee may participate in together and introduce your Mentee to industry leaders. Either virtually or hybrid.

·       Mentors can translate their own career journey for Mentees and how it impacted their career paths. 

·       Share your own setbacks. Sharing mistakes and professional setbacks can support Mentees in becoming more comfortable and ready to make mistakes since that's an inevitable part of the job and life.

·       Model good character. As a Mentor, you’re far more than a job supervisor. You’re a role model for how to interact with others on the job, not just what skills to perform. Demonstrating compassion, respect, self-confidence, and good decision-making skills can teach your mentee more than you realize.

·       Be willing to be proven wrong. Your Mentee may have an idea or ambition that seems unrealistic to you. Don’t discourage them immediately; give the idea some thought. Remember best practices in many workplaces change with the times. Especially if your mentee is younger than you, they may have a fresh perspective on new developments in your field.

·       Develop a Quarterly Action Plan with Mentee. This can include lunch, MPI Potomac Chapter events, other industry meetings and social events.

·       Learn and Have Fun!