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Film-style poster for the Balance Wheel for Mentors presentation

A guide for mentors: Balance Wheel for Mentors

How to send the Balance Wheel, read the answers and talk them through.

English

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What it is

Eight areas, today and wanted

Your mentee rates eight areas of life twice: as they are and as they want them.

When to send it

Send it when the focus is unclear

It helps most before goals are set, or when everything feels urgent at once.

  • Early on before you set goals together
  • Too much at once when they cannot choose
  • Months later fill it again and compare

An honest frame

A mirror, not a test

The wheel has no scientific validation, so use it to start a conversation.

  • No right answers it is their own view
  • Nothing to grade only gaps to talk about
  • Their pick leads they choose the area

Sending it

Send it from your pairing

It takes a minute, and your mentee gets an email.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find the Balance Wheel.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Your mentee sees it on their home page and Tools.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find the Balance Wheel.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Your mentee sees it on their home page and Tools.

Reading the answers

Read the gaps before the scores

A low score matters less than the distance between today and wanted.

  • Biggest gap where today and wanted are furthest apart
  • Strongest area what already works, and why
  • The area they picked not always the biggest gap; ask why

Questions to ask

Ask, then ask once more

People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

  • Which gap surprised you? then: what did you expect?
  • Which area would lift the others? then: how would that work?
  • What makes your strongest area strong? then: can it help elsewhere?

Feedback that helps

Talk about the area, not the person

Feedback can backfire, so keep it on the answers and the next step.

1 in 3 Over a third of feedback effects lowered performance in one large review Kluger and DeNisi, 1996

One step

Agree one step with a when

Plans in the form "if this happens, then I do that" help people act.

94 Tests found that if-then plans help people reach their goals Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006

After the meeting

Keep it all on Mentornity

The answers, your comments and the next steps stay in one place.

Read it at a glance

The biggest gap and strongest area are summed up.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

Earlier answers are kept, so you can compare the wheels.

Read it at a glance

The biggest gap and strongest area are summed up.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

Earlier answers are kept, so you can compare the wheels.

Send the wheel this week

Choose a mentee who is about to set goals and send it before you meet.

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