Hi John

I hope you're well. I am so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. As
you probably know, I have been in the thick of it with planning the organisation
structure changes, and have been running around like I don't know what.

I wanted to give you some feedback on the mentoring sessions we had, and wanted
it to be right - so here it is..

I found the sessions extremely useful for a number of reasons. Firstly, it gave
me a window to sit back, take stock, and take a step back from the immediate
picture and really think about things with an objective mind. It is so easy to
let your career guide you rather than vice versa, and I had forgotten how
important this was. Moreover, it gave me the chance to really look at situations
which needed my attention - both at work and at home. The advice you gave me
helped guide me to the truly important issues in my home and work life, and
resolve them in an objective way.

Secondly, it was absolutely wonderful talking things through with a totally
non-judgemental, non-prejudiced, non-biased, objective and balanced person.
There was no fear of reproach, come-back either at work or at home, and because
of this you enabled me to be honest with both you and myself. I don't believe
this could ever be achieved with a mentor based in the work environment, as
regardless of best intentions, we continuously face varying degrees of politics
at work and sometimes openness about one's feelings is not therefore the best
policy.

Thirdly, I am not the sort of person who likes to be told what to do - in your
wisdom I'm sure you probably picked this up at an early stage! I would always
prefer to work things out myself whilst being given the necessary guidance, or
tools, to ensure I am going in the right sort of direction. You never provided
me with a solution, but cleverly pointed me towards things which would help me
resolve the issues we'd discussed. I couldn't always see the significance of
these things at the time, but upon reflection after the session, I often felt
excited when I discovered I was perhaps a little wiser - especially after
solving a problem in a way I wouldn't have considered before. One such example
was 'peoples' values'. Such a simple thing, and so obvious that people are
motivated by different values - therefore of course we will conflict with people
when we judge against our internal values; yet I seem to have buried this
understanding as I've got older. I remain convinced that my reawakening to this
has led to a significantly improved relationship with my own boss and other
colleagues as well. This little pearl of wisdom amongst others was also shared
with several of my work colleagues when I felt it could help them with similar
issues, and I know they have all benefited from it in the same way that I have.

To summarise, the combination of the above three things has led to me feeling
that perhaps I am a little wiser and more understanding of people and
situations. I believe it has certainly helped me to become a better manager. I
have been able to emulate some of the ways in which you helped me to develop
myself, and applied my learning to help my own team to develop themselves. You
have helped me to open a significant number of doors which were shut upon
entering adulthood, and I have learnt many skills which I never had before. I
certainly believe that these sessions are useful to anyone - especially
managers; although perhaps not so much useful as important - everyone should
have this experience.

Thank you for making me a little wiser. I have a long way to go, but I know that
thanks to the mentoring sessions I had with you, I will perhaps get there a
little quicker.

Reading back, this is a little metaphorical and not my usual style, but it is
sincerely heartfelt.

Thanks once again

Jo


I can honestly say I felt refreshed after each session, and looked forward with
anticipation to the next!