Being on the same wavelength is a good way to put it … and I find the following help
- shared goals
- shared values
- vulnerability-based trust (they got your back)

Those all contribute to building rapport and the golden rule is rapport before influence.

@ Barb

I have to say that as simple as it sounds, always challenging myself to come up with 3 take aways is incredibly effective … time and again. It’s the single most significant practice I adopted that really changed my game when it comes to learning from everyone and everything at an exponential rate. Who knew “less” would be more?

I use a variety of mentors
- scheduled mentors (regularly scheduled recurring meetings)
- periodic mentors (people I meet with now and Zen)
- virtual mentors (books, people, quotes)

I’m a fan of surrounding myself with smart people and then letting nature take its course. Whether I have mentors or not, smarties rub off on me and I get exposed to lots of new ideas and information and growth … simply by showing up

I’ve heard folks say, and have been guilty of saying myself before I knew better, ‘I didn’t get much out of that.’

Now I know better… ‘What do I bring to it?’ (coaching session, class, seminar, church, whatever) is my first question. Then I can more easily answer ‘What did I get out of it?’

And that’s just your first point! Glad you started there…

Do you think all coaching needs to be scheduled,acted on, evaluated, and rescheduled? Maybe another way to ask is: do all your mentors know they are mentoring you? Or do you consider as mentors those who author books, teach classes where there are no particular interpersonal dynamics, that kind of thing?

I’m not asking very well, but maybe you’ll understand what I’m asking. Can you benefit from both types of mentors? Those you hire one on one and those who, simply by their shared knowledge and expertise have taught you…

Another excellent food-for-the-brain post. Thanks.

one other thing – is seeing what’s there, what you need to do, what is available … we don’t mull it out for ourselves – we don’t sit on things and work out what we need.

I struggle sometimes with what is being said in posts – and it’s hard work to bring my brain onto or into the level of the blogger – to get the best benefit from what I’m reading. Yes – my mind is elsewhere with my Mum .. as with everyone else doing their thing – but to benefit from comments sometimes we need to pause, think, relate and learn, rather than scan past .. if your subject is personal and self development then you’re in that curve already and on a similar wave-length when you start out (and that must help!) ..

Thanks for answering – appreciate that .. bye – have a good week – Hilary

Right on … making the most of a coach means knowing what you want to accomplish … even if that means using a coach to find out what you really want to accomplish

I use a lot of short-term mentors for short-burst coaching in addition to my long-term mentors. One of my favorite things to do is find somebody’s super skill and learn it from them. Around Microsoft, there are so many high caliber people, I feel like a kid in a candy store … I scoop up all the skills I can

Sources of Insight is my way of giving back, in addition to the people I mentor at work, and my upcoming book.

It’s good to hear your background to coaching and that you’re continuing on with it – obviously as it’s a two-way process and I guess the coach is keeping one step ahead of you .. often that learning process for a teacher.

Thanks – good to read .. have a good week – Hilary

I bring a lot to the table so it’s usually a mutual exchange of insight and experience. I think that’s what actually keeps it going … it’s a two-way street of growth, perspective, and new lenses on things.

Dror

One of the simplest ways is to schedule recurring meetings. For example, I meet with one mentor every other Monday, I meet with another mentor, every other Thur, and with another mentor, I meet once a month.

I always have a focus or theme that I frame as a challenge, I bring a few questions to the table, and I take lots of notes. This helps me make the most of each mentor.