Career development
Prepare a brief for a mentoring conversation
Choose a current problem and give your mentor enough context to discuss it. Describe what you tried and what happened, then state the question you want help with. Keep background that changes the answer and leave unrelated career history for another conversation.
A text to start with
I am meeting my mentor, [name or role], on [date]. The problem I want to discuss is [problem]. Here is where things stand and what I have tried: [details]. Write a one-page brief with the situation, the approaches I attempted and what happened, one specific question and a next experiment I could try. Tell me if my question is too broad to answer.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Mentoring brief
Meeting date: [ ] Mentor: [ ] Current situation: [ ] What I have tried: [ ] What happened each time: [ ] Constraints I am working within: [ ] Specific question: [ ] Options I am weighing: [ ] Next experiment I could run: [ ] Advice received: [ ] Suggestion I will try: [ ] Date to check the result: [ ]
Questions too broad to answer
Read the question with the situation in mind. A broad aim such as getting promoted may need a narrower starting point, such as how to demonstrate a responsibility you have not yet held. Check that the attempts section records actions and results rather than intentions. Explain constraints the mentor might not know, and identify any options you are weighing. Remove confidential work details that the mentor is not permitted to receive.
Ask another agent to check the result
Tell me whether one person could answer my question well in a single conversation. Rewrite any broad part into a question tied to my actual situation. Flag attempts I described by intention rather than by what happened.
After the conversation
Ask whether the mentor would like the brief in advance, and use it to keep the conversation focused. Record the reasoning behind suggestions so you can judge whether they fit your situation. Choose a practical next step and decide when to assess it. If you arrange another conversation, bring what you learned from that step.