Balance Wheel

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 onbefore you set goals together
• Too much at oncewhen they cannot choose
• Months laterfill it again and compare

Filling it in

Ten minutes, in two steps. Rate each area, then choose the one you will work on.

1. Rate each area today0 is not at all, 10 is fully.
2. Set where you want itToday’s shape stays on screen while you set each area.
3. Choose one area and a stepSay why this one, and pick a step for this week.

Reading the answers

Read the gaps before the scores. A low score matters less than the distance between today and wanted.

• Biggest gapwhere today and wanted are furthest apart
• Strongest areawhat already works, and why
• The area they pickednot 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?

Why it works

A picture of the whole helps you choose one area to work on instead of everything at once.

A common practice with no study behind it, offered as a reflection tool.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• Balance Wheel for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send the Balance Wheel, how to read the gaps, which questions to ask and how to turn it into one step.
• Balance Wheel for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what the Balance Wheel is, how to fill it in, where to find it and what your mentor does with it.

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• Best Possible Self20 min

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• Possible Selves15 min

  Write who you hope to be next year and who you fear becoming. Next to each, write what you do about it.

• Three Good Things10 min

  Write three things that went well today and why each one happened. A short evening habit.

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