Ldr_531

University of Phoenix Material Mentorship Information During this class in the University of Phoenix MBA program, you will be expected to locate and work with a mentor. The mentorship is designed to work in tandem with your course objectives, assignments, and discussions. The purpose of the mentorship is to provide you with a one-on-one relationship with someone who can give additional guidance, input, support, encouragement, and share real-world experiences to enhance your classroom learning and to provide information you can use in your career. Where do I find a mentor' Here are some suggestions of individuals who might be suited for the mentorship role: • Former or current managers • Former colleagues in a leadership position at their organization • Retired leaders—check with SCORE (http://www.score.org/) formerly called Service Corps of Retired Executives • Leaders in an organization in a similar industry • Someone in a leadership capacity at other organizations you are affiliated with, such as your place of worship, volunteer organizations, and so forth • Former faculty members • Community leaders • Your local Chamber of Commerce business members • U.S. Small Business Administration staff members—if you work with government contracts only • Personal acquaintances, family, friends, or relatives Be careful using a friend or a family member as a mentor. While there is no rule against it, you must remain focused on the topics outlined in the University of Phoenix Material: Mentorship Meeting Worksheet during your official meetings. You may want to prepare a list of three or four mentor possibilities and set up individual appointments for brief conversations. This will give you an idea of how you will work together, what their schedules are like, and how willing they are to serve as your mentor for 6 weeks. How do I meet with my mentor' You will be expected to meet with your mentor once during each week of the course for a total of 6 official meetings. Any additional meetings are at the discretion of you and your mentor. In-person or phone meetings are usually preferred, but meetings using videoconferencing tools, such as Skype, are also acceptable. Other electronic communication methods, such as e-mail and instant messaging, while not ideal, can be used, but these are best suited for short conversations between official documented meetings.