I am delighted to announce that Business North Harbour (BNH) is ready to launch our Women In Leadership Mentoring Programme. The programme, the concept for which received overwhelming support from attendees at two Women in Business events, has been developed in conjunction with Dr. Patricia Bossons, Leadership and Coaching Lead, Massey Executive Development and is very different from the array of business skills mentoring opportunities which already exist, as it offers a unique opportunity for female mentees to be mentored on leadership skills rather than topics like budgets or marketing, by successful female business leaders from within the BNH business community.
The programme, which for BNH members is completely free of charge, aims to develop female leaders and potential leaders in our businesses, thus, mentorship training leadership topics might include:
- Leadership v Management – developing followship
- Leadership Behaviours (authenticity, transparency, vulnerability, empathy, self-awareness etc)
- Difficult Conversations
- Succession Planning
- Letting Go
- Exit Strategies – How does the business run without you?
Mentors and mentees will be invited to attend a half-day training workshop with Dr. Patricia Bossons on Wednesday 25th November, here at Business North Harbour which will be structured as follows:
- 9am – 12pm Mentor Training
- 12pm – 1pm Mentors and Mentees Shared Lunch
- 1pm – 3pm Mentee Training
(Please note: Prior to attendance mentors and mentees will need to complete some pre-workshop preparation which will only take around 30 minutes)
Following the training workshop it is expected that the mentor/mentee sessions will commence after the main holidays in late January / early February 2021. We envisage each mentor would work 1:1 with each mentee, meeting approximately every 4 to 6 weeks, with each mentee being mentored for around 10 – 12 months.
During the programme we will invite mentors back to BNH for a couple of hours to give feedback and share experiences after 3 months and 8 months.
After this initial pilot, we will review the programme and feedback from mentors and mentees, then make any changes necessary to enable the programme to be delivered again in 2022.
Next Steps:
If you have some time and would like to ‘give back’ and be considered for a leadership mentor role please e-mail kevin@businessnh.org.nz NO LATER THAN MONDAY 16th NOVEMBER, briefly explaining why you wish to be a mentor and outlining any relevant business leadership experience you may have.
OR
If you would like to be considered for a leadership mentee opportunity please e-mail kevin@businessnh.org.nz NO LATER THAN MONDAY 16th NOVEMBER, briefly explaining your current role, why you wish to be mentored and outlining any particular aspects of leadership that you would like to develop.
I hope that the above information successfully outlines this opportunity, but if you need any further clarification please do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to hearing from potential mentors and mentees in due course.