Mentors, you might find yourself facing challenges with your students. Below we share some tips how to coach through them.
CHALLENGE: Your student is upset. Really upset.
Listen. Let your student explain what is challenging them. Ask questions, using “what” “how” “why” “when” to explore the causes and identify solutions.
CHALLENGE: Your student is struggling with work-life-CASB balance.
Borrow advice from case-writing, and help your student prioritize. Ask your student to make a list of stressors and deadlines, and for each item, decide if and when it needs to happen.
CHALLENGE: Your student is falling behind in weekly tasks.
Again drawing on case writing skills, work with your student to decide how to allocate their time on the next week’s tasks, and encourage them to stick to the time budget. Is your student spending too long researching, planning, or preparing the task? Ask questions to see if there is a sticking point that you can help with.
If necessary, the student can request an extension (review the Student Resource Guide for specific instructions). Remember that extensions often only apply to a specific week, so you might need to encourage your student to think about planning the next several ones.
CHALLENGE: Your student struggles to see how CASB and work relate.
Look at the practical application checklists for each module, and ask your student to compare what they have already covered (and will be covering in future modules) with the kinds of tasks they perform at work.
Do you have other mentoring challenges? Share them in the comments below.