To Our NABFEME Mentee:
Welcome to the NABFEME Mentor Partnership.
We are excited about your participation in the program and
your interest in pursuing a music and entertainment industry
career. As a NABFEME Mentee, you are regarded as a highly
passionate individual who is serious about their desire to
be a successful entertainment executive. Our Mentees are diligent
in accruing knowledge and skills; they value loyalty, and
are willing to step up to the challenges the mentor places
before them. The NABFEME Mentee is reliable and prompt, completes
assignments and is not afraid to take the initiative in new
areas. Our Mentees seek to uphold the ethics and standards
of their chosen profession and are expected to take the lead
in the mentoring relationship, to ensure that the Mentor positively
affects their development.
How Can A NABFEME Mentor Benefit Me?
What Does a NABFEME Mentor Do?
It is difficult to define exactly what a Mentor does. Every
situation is unique because every person's needs and expectations
vary. However, our Mentors are expected to:
· Set high expectations
· Lead and teach by example
· Provide challenging concepts
· Provide growth experience
· Build self-confidence
· Speak words of wisdom
· Promote professional behavior
· Explain how things are structured
· Deal with negative attitudes & behaviors
· Offer support during difficult situations
· Listen to problems
· Assist with career development
NABFEME and "Virtual Wo-Mentoring"
NABFEME defines a Mentor as someone who has found ways to
succeed in life and cares enough to pass those lessons along.
NABFEME takes this concept a step further by introducing what
we call, "Virtual Wo-Mentoring." Realizing we cannot
rely on men to pick female protégés and can't
depend on being able to socialize in the old school style
- i.e. the boy's club, on the basketball court, or over a
cigar - we had to change the rules. We discovered a new world
of mentoring - a world where the old rules, written and practiced
by men mentoring men, have been restructured by women mentoring
women
a world we call "Wo-Mentoring." Women's
mentoring is more about commitment than chemistry. It's more
about personal growth and development, rather than promotions
and perks. It's more about learning than power. It's not about
who you know
but who knows you and what you can do!
How Does "Virtual Wo-Mentoring" Work?
NABFEME combines this new style of mentoring with the technology
of the Internet to create "Virtual Wo-Mentoring."
With our email based Mentor Partnership Program, NABFEME helps
to develop an interactive relationship between the Mentor
and Mentee through the use of the Internet. Experienced entertainment
professionals offer their talent and advice to those they
council, based on matching data compiled from the Mentor and
Mentee's professional profile. Once a workable profile is
identified, a mentoring partnership is formed and our "Virtual
Wo-Mentoring" process begins. Initiated and carried out
though email correspondence, the email mentoring partnership
can last from several months to several years, based on the
mutual parties needs and aspirations.
The NABFEME Mentor Partnership profile database
matches up a NABFEME Mentee with a NABFEME Mentor based on
the following criteria:
The Etiquette of Mentoring
Since all Mentors and Mentees come to relationships with different
styles and expectations, one of the first things a Mentor
and Mentee should discuss with each other are the rules they
would like to use in their relationship. The basic rule is
to make the other person feel at ease and comfortable with
the relationship. This means showing kindness, flexibility,
and appreciation, and using social manners. We have outlined
several do's and don'ts for Mentees that we believe will be
helpful in developing a successful mentoring partnership.
Suggestions for Mentees
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Take time to establish
what you are looking for in this relationship.
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Depend on your mentor
to identify what you are looking for from this relationship.
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Be considerate of your
mentor's time. Return phone calls and e-mails promptly,
be on time.
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Assume your mentor has
unlimited time for you.
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Listen attentively to
what your mentor has to say.
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Tune out when the topic
seems irrelevant to your immediate needs.
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Be complete yet succinct
in your comments and explanations.
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Ramble on, ignoring clues
that you're talking too long.
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Show appreciation for
assistance your mentor gives you.
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Take your mentor for
granted or assume he/she does not need reinforcement.
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Make it easy for mentor
to give you guidance and suggestions.
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Immediately defend or
explain yourself, or criticize your mentor.
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Make only positive or
neutral comments to others about your mentor.
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Talk negatively about
your mentor behind his or her back.
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NABFEME has set the mentor/mentee partnership
time frame at 35 hours total, during a period of three (3)
months. You can begin as soon as the NABFEME Mentor Partnership
Program Administrator initiates the pairing and makes the
assignment. We ask that your sessions be at least 10 to 15
minutes long. As the relationship progresses, session time
should increase to about 30 minutes long or higher. If for
some reason the pairing becomes problematic, please consult
us immediately. Our direct line is (201) 724-9836 or you may
call us toll free at (877) 622-3362. We are also available
at
and .
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