Your Mentor Source

The Zenith Program is a concept of using mentoring to assist people in personal development, career transition or search, and small business start up or development.

It is administered by The Mentor Consortium with the resolve to develop more entrepreneur-minded individuals who will expand growing businesses, create meaningful employment and be the Canadian business leaders of tomorrow.

The Zenith Program gives access, for a six-month or one-year period, to high quality support, targeted primarily at the personal development of the individual requesting assistance and with the aim of helping the individual achieve their potential.

To find suitable Mentors, we are contacting members of the business community and asking for their support in identifying candidates who meet the criteria.

The role of the Mentor

The term "Mentor" is used to describe this support role. It combines the normal definition of the mentor role, namely that of supporting the personal development of the "Mentee" (the individual requesting assistance) with that of business support, ranging from the strategic to the operational. In practice, this does not mean simply developing or implementing a "solution" in the way that a consultant would. Instead, the emphasis is on helping the Mentee develop their own strategic and operational capabilities.

At the heart of the Zenith Program is the belief that this support role will ensure the Mentee is better able to cope with the future demands of his/her activities.

The role of "Mentor" undoubtedly demands an exceptional range of skills and experience. It will be challenging, fascinating and potentially very satisfying, as it presents the chance to work with high potential individuals at a transition stage in their development.

Mentor Criteria

The Mentors will be assessed against factors that will influence their success in the Program. The principal ones are:

Mentee Criteria

Mentees will be assessed against factors that will influence success. The principal ones are:

After selection

After selection for the Zenith Program, the Mentor will be briefed on likely matches, which will lead to a shortlisting, where the Mentor's experience and skills seem appropriate.

A meeting will then be arranged with the Mentee, probably on-line or over the phone, who will probably also interview two other Mentor candidates. The Mentee, having been through a similar briefing to the Mentor, will then make his/her choice. After selecting the Mentor, the Mentee will negotiate the contract with him/her. Clear objectives and targets will be finalized, typically over a six-month or one-year period with escape clauses should either the process or relationship not work.

A team of Business Specialists will be available to support the Mentee through the Mentor in the Zenith Program. The Specialists' role is to provide the expertise to ensure that all the business activities, whether they be management practices, sales techniques, direct marketing, financial control systems, etc. are of the highest standards. A key role of the Mentor is to identify the need for such specialist help.

Ongoing support

The team of Mentors will be offered relevant support training through The Mentor Consortium. In addition, each Mentor may have a "shadow" who will be a point of contact and support on the assignment. Mentors will also meet together, on an occasional basis, to share experiences.