Mentoring Future Leaders

Mentoring Future Leaders
1. Fear of the unknown, or just nervousness or “butterflies in the
stomach”. Slight discomfort will soon pass as participants become
more at ease.
2. Fear of scrutiny. “Learners may well come into a situation or
relationship thinking that their deeper selves, their performance and
their personality may be put under the microscope, the focus of
discussions may well reach some fairly deep levels for learners quite
quickly. They will be receiving feedback on their behaviour, how they
are perceived by others, and their motives, values and capabilities may
well be exposed.
In order to cope with this, they will need a high level of trust and
reassurance that they will be treated respectfully and sensitively. It is
often important for learners that they are not judged harshly – in fact a
heavy judgemental approach is rarely helpful or appreciated.”
3. Fear of failure. Most people might wonder, “will I make it?” This
needs to be confronted with a great deal of sensitivity.
4. Fears about the relationship. The protégé (and mentor) will wonder
how the relationship will work out. This is a normal reaction to new
circumstances. Think about the last time you started a new job, and
the thoughts you had just before you met your new boss, or colleagues
or team.
To deal with fears, Lewis suggests the following
strategy:
• Anticipate fears
• Check / verify / probe about concerns
• Acknowledge / legitimise the fears
• Adjust approach accordingly
• Reassure
© Learning Link International
April 2005
Module 2 - Focus on Mentors and
Mentees
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