• What do you/your organisation want to achieve long term?

  How much personal control or influence do you have over your goal?

• What outcome would you like from this discussion?

• What would you like to happen that is not happening now, or what would you like not to happen that is happening now?

• When do you want to achieve it by?

• What does success look like?

Starting with goals creates space for longer term possibilities and prevents going straight to immediate realities. It will help to shape your conversations and the input you give.

The types of things you might want to understand and clarify are:

• the mission of the organisation
• identified goals and longer-term ambitions

• How are things going right now?

• What have you done about this so far?

• What results did that produce

• What resources are available?

• What barriers do you have?

• What needs are most important?

• What is the biggest concern?

This is the chance to understand where the organisation is now:

• Where they are at against their ambitions
• What actions they are pursuing and have done in the past
• The role the individual plays, perspective of the rest of the board

• ​Tell me what possibilities for actions you see. Do not worry whether they are realistic at this stage. What approach have you seen used in similar circumstances?

• What else could you do?

• What if you had more time or money?

• What are the options you like the most?

• What are the benefit/costs of each?

This is the chance to explore what might be useful next steps for the individual (actions they could take between now and your next conversation) and the organisation as a whole. This is the chance to encourage people to think widely about the options available to them and how they fit with where the organisation is now.

• ​What option or options do you choose?
• When are you going to start and finish each action? 
• What could arise to hinder you in taking these steps?
• What will you do to eliminate these factors?
• What support do you need and from whom?
• What could I do to support you?
• What commitment on a 1-to-10 scale do you have to taking these agreed actions?
• What prevents this from being a 10? What could you do to get closer to 10?

The options people pursue may look very different depending on the organisation and individual. It could be:

• Getting in touch with a similar organisation who has taken on social investment
• Having a wider conversation with the board about what social investment could mean for the organisation
• Eliminating social investment as an immediate option for the organisation and looking at other financing options

Whatever the course of action, this is the chance to help mentees articulate and commit to next steps. Understanding what you may be able to do to help.