Mentor Mentee Program

The intention of this program is to provide:

• 1-2-1 Mentoring for our members. The program intends to leverage the experience and expertise of select senior and/or successful alumni to address (through one to one interaction) the mentorship needs of our members seeking professional and personal development
• Platform for our alumni to contribute back. Along with helping desirous members on their mentorship needs the program will provide a continuing platform for senior and successful alumni to contribute back to the IIT community, by sharing their experiences in successfully starting/managing businesses or succeeding in visible leadership roles in their respective firms

Please click here for details about the first program (MMP1)

Please click here for details about the second program (MMP2)

What are the topics covered in the mentorship?
We have mentors from a wide range of experience and industry sectors. The program’s goal to provide mentorship in a broad set of areas including entrepreneurship, industry / domain expertise development and other areas of professional interest. The mentors participating in this program, besides having a deep knowledge of their respective industries, also have tremendous functional, inter-personal, management and leadership skills. We encourage applicants to this program to take advantage of all facets of mentorship available through the Mentor’s.

What is the duration of a typical mentoring period?
We propose an engagement period of 3 to 4 months. This is a reasonable duration where the mentor and mentee can establish a deep relationship and have a good chance of achieving the mentoring objectives. The program is flexible and it offers the option for either of the parties to terminate or extend with mutual consent. The duration is a guideline to encourage the mentoring to be focused and to allow access for a wider set of mentees to participate.

What is expected effort and contribution needed from the mentor?
It is recommended that in a month, the mentors commit to around one to two hours on average of direct contact time with each mentee. This is preferably through telephone or ideally meeting in person. A face to face meeting provides the most effective channel of communication and can have a positive influence on the mentoring relationship. We understand the mentors may have constraints and it is advisable that expectations are set between the mentor and mentee in advance. The most important point is that the parties remain in regular contact with each other.

What is the agreement between the mentor and mentee?
It is advisable that the initial contact and discussions between the mentors and mentee is done in a structured way to ensure expectations are set regarding:

• Topics and areas that will be covered
• Topics and areas that the mentor and mentee wish not to cover. (E.g. specific request for jobs
• Preferred communication channels and frequency
• Mentoring / coaching styles and preference

The list could vary as the relationship between the mentor and mentee matures. It is the responsibility of the mentor and the mentee to decide on any rules or the structure at the beginning so you both have a clear understanding of expectations.

What is the mentoring program’s approach?
We have kept the guidelines for the program fairly open. We expect the mentor and mentees to work on the specific objectives, approach and protocol for the engagement.

How many mentees will be accepted per mentor?
There is no fixed ratio for the number of mentees per mentor. Our experience from similar programs show a ratio of around three to four mentees per mentor gives a good opportunity to interact and manage the schedules.

This scheme will be open to all paid members of IITLC. The MM scheme will be coordinated by the MM team Please click here for details about the MMTeam. They can be contacted at MMTEAM@iituk.org. The MM team is there to advise and support the mentors and mentees regarding any clarification or ongoing help regarding the programme.