Mentoring Guidelines – Answer only five critical questions!

                 The mentorship framework is an amazingly simple-yet-powerful set of five critical questions. These five questions, when asked in the order presented, form an effective diagnostic tool that can provide better guidance to mentees-Students, employees, or generally anyone with whom you are playing the role of a counselor. Additionally, they can serve as a self-diagnosis of one's own capabilities and opportunities.

Let's briefly look at these questions:

1. What is it that you really want to be and do?

                       This question is about aspiration and purpose. The reason why someone is doing what they are doing should come out here. The question is also meant to get at the career or business goals and broader aspirations of an individual - someone wishing to be successful in life and business so that they can do more to help others, for example. The answer to question one should surface the driving passion of individuals - what is it they do or wish they could be great at doing?

2. What are you doing really well that is helping you get there?

                       This question helps spotlight a core strength and the person's ability to execute towards his/her goal. What is someone naturally good at doing? Detailed and standardized operations? Leading and motivating Students/staff? Numbers? What is it that someone does better than the average people that can help her achieve her aspiration?

3. What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there?

                       This is about facilitating an honest and critical assessment of the roadblocks, challenges or weaknesses in a person or institute or company that is slowing their ability to win the game; to meet the goal from question one.

4. What will you do different tomorrow to meet those challenges?

                      Questions two and three help determine whether people are spending the right time on the right things. Progress cannot be measured just by hard work. Someone may have a great work ethic, but if he is not focused on the right priorities, then "you're making good time, but you're lost," as another one may say. People also have a tendency to practice and repeat what they are already good at doing. It is human nature to show off your best side and hide weaknesses. Use this question to probe whether the person has the aptitude to change behavior.

5. How can Institute and mentor help / where do you need the most help?

                     The answers to the first four questions matched against areas where  a mentor have particular strengths, relationships, or learning resources and should help determine how one can best help someone achieve the goal.