Do you want Will Witt to help with Your Study? - Mentoring is probably the best way of doing this

What is mentoring?

There has been a lot written about mentoring and how it can support and compliment more “traditional” ways of development.

David Clutterbuck, an acknowledged expert in the field describes the Mentoring relationship as one which: “Involves listening with empathy, mutually sharing experiences…, a friendship that develops insight through reflection”

Robert Dilts another prolific writer in the field describes a mentor as someone who can “…offer a stimulating sanctuary to help and support people to manage their own learning in order to maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve performance and become the person they want to be”

The common thread here, is that a mentoring relationship is seen as something helpful, takes place outside of day to day activities , and that can support development over a period of time. Sometimes describing the process is actually more helpful than trying to define it.

Some of the things that Mentoring can help with..

Help to put issues into perspective

Encourage reflection

Encourage informed decision making

Provide “time out” to examine issues from a different place

Help to clarify complex issues

What Makes Mentoring Work?

The success of mentoring is in the establishment of an effective relationship, based upon mutual respect, honesty and understanding.

The Mentor would need to have “something” (quality / skill / experience) that is seen as being helpful to the Mentee in their personal or professional life.

A Mentor does not give direct advice, but helps the Mentee to weigh up situations, through a process of reflection, questions, challenge and feedback allowing the Mentee to come to a decision themselves.

It is crucial to remember that in any mentoring relationship it is the Mentee who drives the agenda, not the Mentor.

What is an Effective Mentor

He / she would need to:

Be Honest, open and discrete

Be committed to supporting the Mentee

Be able to support the Mentee in reflecting on their situation by respectfully challenging the status quo

Be able to give skilled feedback

Be able to identify learning opportunities

Be able to provide alternative ways of looking at an issue

Work with the Mentee to set the boundaries of the relationship (contract)

Work with the Mentee to regularly evaluate the usefulness of the relationship and amend as necessary.

Work with the Mentee to bring the relationship to an end (if necessary)

Themselves learn from the mentoring relationship

Choosing a Mentor

There are many different schools of thought as to how Mentors should and could be selected. However, it is recognised that in those relationships that work best Mentees have made the selection themselves.

Mentoring FAQ's

Question 1: What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a combination of advising, coaching, counselling, guiding, instructing, teaching and tutoring by someone who is very experienced in a particular profession or business.

Question 2: What is a mentor?

A mentor is always there for his client both as a motivator and listener. He has no personal axe to grind and is someone who gives dispassionate unbiased opinions based on wide experience and knowledge of both strategy and tactics.

Question 3: Do you need a mentor?

If you have a project that you are finding difficult to develop because of bias, internal politics, conflicting objectives or just plain complexity you may need a mentor.

Mentoring may be appropriate in the following circumstances:

• Your project is very complex and it is difficult to "sort the wood from the trees" and set clear objectives
• Your project is dominated by several equally important technical issues and you cannot see how to move forward
• Your project is dominated by several powerful stakeholders with very diverse views on how the project should proceed
• The study stage of your project is proving to be very expensive and you cannot see how to procure the funds necessary to move forward.
• Your project is in trouble and you cannot see how to save it
• You are at an impasse in the project development and cannot see how to move forward.

A dispassionate very experienced mentor can help you resolve all these types of issues.

Question 4: How does the mentoring process start?

First of all you fill in the application form below. This will help me to decide whether I can really be of help.

It is vital that the personal chemistry between the mentor and client works well and so if I think I can help we will fix a time for a telephone conversation.

We can then exchange views and the arrangments for the mentoring service in a question and answer session and then confirm the details by Email if we are both happy with the proposed arrangment.

Question 5: Why does mentoring work?

Because you are taking a short cut to getting the experience and knowledge that I have acquired from 35 years of project planning experience.

Question 6: What does Will Witt get from the mentoring service

I get several things:

First of all I am writing an Ebook on project development case histories and with your permission I would use your project in the book - anonymously of course.

Secondly my mentoring service is not cheap and so I make a good profit from it.

Thirdly the intensity of the problem solving involved in mentoring helps keep me at the cutting edge of project development.

Question 6: Why use Will Witt's mentoring service and not someone else's

That's simple - How many so-called gurus will actually mentor people one on one and actually take incoming calls? Most of them just hide away behind their products, websites or emails - You will have my office telephone number for immediate contact.

They do this because it's tough being a mentor when you have a direct one-on-one relationship with your mentoree and where your advice has got to cut the mustard!

Question 7: Don't all mentors provide the same thing?

No because most of them are academics or software designers who have jumped onto the project management band wagon because it is a profitable niche to work in.

With me you get a civil engineer with nearly 40 years of experience of project development - I might say "I can't answer that without thinking about it" but by the next time we talk, I will have considered it and replied to you by Email, and we will then be able to discuss the issue in detail.

Question 8: Will, why should I REALLY take one-on-one mentoring with you?

If you want your project to be a success then fill in the application from below.

But if you are half-hearted about the whole mentoring approach then forget it because it will not work. I want to work with people who are open-minded and have the enthusiasm, toughness and patience to succeed. If you do not have these qualities then please don't apply.

Please do not forget one vital fact. If you have read my Ebook "How to Respond when Oppoortunity Knocks " you will know that the it is absolutely vital to get the early planning phases of a project 100% right. I suggest that you consider mentoring during Step 1 - you may not need it in Step 2 if you get Step 1 right.

It is the same in every production process in which mankind is involved from "cooking" to "space exploration" - if the preparation ain't right it won't work!

Question 9: What about seminars or bootcamps - they will be a lot cheaper than mentoring

Yes much cheaper and not focussed and run by people without real experience who are just out to make a fast buck because the more people they pack into their "teaching event" the more they make.

They have no long term commitment to your project and will not make you perform like I will!

Question 10: I have already developed several projects - why do I need your help?

You obviously know what you are doing but you would not be reading this unless you have some doubts about something. Remember - smart people get some expert help when in doubt

Question 11: What other advanatages do I get from your Mentoring Service?

It will give you the confidence to go ahead and get stuck into the feasibility study without worrying about:-

• Pursuing dead ends
• Wasting time and resources
• Getting the Terms of Reference for your consultants right
• The appropriate analytical techniques to use
• etc, etc

I will help and advise you to follow and develope your feasibility study in a way that is most appropriate for you and your firm.

Question 12: I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to this process right now, can't I just wait until later?

You sure can - but my mentoring service is on a first-come-first-serve basis. I have a limited number of mentoring slots in my calender each year and when its full you may have to wait a few months for the next free slot.

Question 13: Why can't you just mentor me for free? I will pay you back when I make money.

When you give information and advice for free people don't value it highly and even more importantly don't take any notice of it.

I want you to prepare for, look forward to and really value our telephone discussions and Email exchanges - you won't do this if you are getting my mentoring service for peanuts!

But you will do it if you have spent a decent amount of money on it.

Question 14: Do you still work on projects?

Yes - but recently I have been very busy on this website. As this gets up and running I might do a few of the more complex and interesting jobs that come along.

Question 15: How do I apply

Just fill in the application from below

Mentoring by Will Witt

I live a very busy professional life but I am going to take on a limited number of mentees through the autumn of 2009 to gather further material for my Case Study pages.

If you wish to apply for one of my mentee slots please send me an EMail. You must give me as much information as you can so that I can gauge whether you really have a serious project in hand.

I will look forward to hearing from you.

Regards