Clarity and focus helps us to achieve success, but most
people are uncertain about their purpose in life. With 87% of the world’s
workforce disengaged, now more than ever, they need people in their lives who
can guide them towards a clear understanding of who they are, their future
direction and their true purpose in life.
You, as their mentor, can provide them with the clarity they
are looking for. Having a mentor who is neutral, actively listens, asks the
right questions and helps mentees to find their true purpose, will help them to
shift form uncertainty to certainty.
Clarity is about making decisions. Sometimes the decision is
to do nothing, which is still a decision. Everyone must decide for themselves
if they are willing to make changes as the saying goes: “You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.” When
a person is ready, and only when they are ready, will they implement the
changes that are needed to make improvements to their lives.
These questions will help your mentee to discover their passion.
1. What is currently working well, is
enjoyable, fulfilling, meaningful and important to you?
This is a discovery question that
highlights some of the person’s current strengths, things they enjoy, find
fulfilling or meaningful, and how they may be aligned to the person’s core
values and beliefs. It may also help to distinguish if the person has a strong
desire to make a move, or if they will remain stuck within their comfort zone.
2. What excites you?
This is a leading question that gets the
person talking about the things they love doing or have a strong desire to do.
It leads to an understanding of their aspirations and purpose.
3. What do you consider to be your strengths?
With this question, you can help the person
to recognize their core strengths and talents. Often, we look past the things
we are good at and only focus on the negatives. Knowing what the person is good
at, as well as their personality strengths, can enlighten them to other options
not yet considered. It may also be the
driving force to motivating them to reach their goals.
4. What do others consider to be your
strengths?
A self-discovery question that helps the
person to recognize their strengths from someone else’s perspective. Often,
family, friends and colleagues understand us better than we understand
ourselves. Having the person look at themselves objectively through someone
else’s eyes, may help them to explore job roles that suit them and / or their
personality type.
5. What skills do you possess that you really
enjoy and love to do?
A question that helps to establish the
person’s capabilities and skills. It also provides them with an alternative
viewpoint, to determine if they have the right skills that match the position
they seem passionate about. They may be required to gain the necessary skills
to perform the role. The clarity you provide, helps them to acknowledge if they
have all the right skills or not.
6. If money were no object, what would you
choose to do?
I personally love this question, as it
helps to define a specific area that has real meaning for the person. Without
exploring this question further, you may find that the person’s choice isn’t a
true passion, but rather a whim. Try to get deeper, by exploring questions that
have to do with their feelings and /or meaning. It may also help to probe for
the details, as this may spark a vision of their true calling in life.
7. Is fear or limiting beliefs preventing you
from moving out of your comfort zone?
Fear can be a real barrier. Whether the
fear is: of the unknown, financial or failure, it is something that cannot be
ignored. Helping the person to face their fears and by exploring the real
reasons behind them, may be the first step to them overcoming their
reservations. It is important to acknowledge and not trivialize their fears.
8. What would you like to be remembered for
after you die?
This strange question can determine a
person’s true calling in life. It touches on the spiritual reason for their
being. ‘Why’ questions in this situation, may help a person to explore
the deeper reasons behind them choosing what they feel passionate about. You
may need to ask the ‘Why’ question several times to get to the real reason
behind their passion.
Communication Tips!
- Just hearing the person isn’t enough. You need to be actively listening. This is about being present, listening very carefully to what the person is saying and how they say it. Listen for what isn’t being said and rephrase what they do say to show that you have heard them.
- Clarifying questions ensures that you are on the same page as them.
- Examples are: ‘When you say ……, what do you mean?’ or ‘It sounds like you’re saying ……is that correct?’ ‘Tell me more about….’, ‘I would like to know more about……'
- Open-ended questions are helpful when you are probing for more information. They usually start with ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ or ‘how’. Example: “What are you concerned about?’. However, it is important that you do not make the other person feel like they are being interrogated.
- A summary of what you have heard, can help the person to comprehend for themselves what they are trying to say. For example: ‘Can I run through with you what you have been telling me, to confirm that I understand you correctly?’
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