Thrive Whanganui's mentoring programme earns kudos from participants

Lisa Lightband and Alan Miles are encouraging people to get involved in Thrive Whanganui's mentoring programme. Photo / Bevan Conley

When mentor Alan Miles heard Lisa Lightband's business pitch, he thought "I hope I don't get that one".

Miles and Lightband were part of a group of mentors and people who wanted a mentor (known as mentees) in Thrive Whanganui's 2019 mentoring programme. The programme matches community and social enterprise leaders with mentors.

Lightband was one of the mentees who presented their ideas at the programme's introductory meeting. At that stage, no one had been matched, with the mentors hearing from all the mentees. Miles was apprehensive about Lightband's business project.

"I thought if Lisa doesn't know how big the job is, I don't want to have to tell her," Miles said.

But the two were matched for the six-month mentoring programme and Miles soon changed his mind about Lightband's ability to achieve her dream.

Lightband is a website expert and her business BandReady, which is still in development, will be "along the lines" of a social network for musicians, including technologies like Facebook, YouTube and Skype. It brings together her passions of web programming and brass bands.

She entered the concept in ideas competition Innovate 2018 because first prize included mentoring. Lightband was amongst the top 20 in the semifinals but didn't win the prize.

"It gave me confidence to go forward but it also was a knock because I didn't win," Lightband said.

"Then I met with [Thrive Whanganui programme director] Nicola [Patrick] because my business was a social enterprise and she suggested the mentoring programme would be ideal. I jumped at the chance."

Miles has a background in information technology and business consultancy and has been involved in mentoring programmes, including New Zealand Business Mentors. A permanent move to Whanganui, where he and his wife have owned a house since 2003, brought the opportunity to get involved in Thrive Whanganui's mentoring programme.

Despite his initial reservations, Miles now believes Lightband's product will take off internationally and says the mentoring relationship benefitted them both.

"The first item on the agenda was 'can she do this?' and it didn't take long to know this was going somewhere and I could be positive about it.

"We all get stuck so I can relate to that process and what I can do to help 'unstick'.

"I consider myself fortunate to be teamed up with Lisa because we got along. Lisa's expertise filled some gaps in my expertise. I received a lot out of it."

For Lightband the mentoring relationship gave her a point of accountability.

"Meeting regularly helped me move forward because I had to report back on how I have moved forward."

It also helped being able to bounce ideas around and talk through "roadblocks".

"It's awesome to have someone in Whanganui who I could talk IT speak to and who understood my geek speak."

While the mentoring programme is supposed to involve monthly meetings, Lightband and Miles met more frequently plus there were "lots of emails" - and lots of coffee at a Whanganui cafe.

"To get the most from mentoring you have to have a realistic idea that can be positively approached by both parties and then you need to be really open and honest with each other," Miles said.

"It's the mentees that should be driving it. I turn up and say 'what do you need?' You have to have a light touch and not get over-invested but you also want the thing to go."

Lightband says from a mentee's perspective "you have to have the drive to keep it going and keep your eye on the prize".

"If you have the passion, dedication and commitment to what you want to achieve, it will happen," she said.

Although the pair's official mentoring relationship has finished, they are still in close contact as Lightband continues to build the blocks of her business.

Thrive Whanganui's Nicola Patrick (front left) with 2019 mentoring programme participants Michelle Colson (front right) and (back from left) Emma Dickinson, Jason Shailer, Alan Miles, Tony Sundman, Lee Williams and Lisa Lightband. Photo / Supplied

Thrive Whanganui is inviting applications for the 2020 mentoring programme, funded by the Tindall Foundation, which begins with an orientation on Monday, March 30.

Thrive Whanganui's programme director and local mentoring co-ordinator Nicola Patrick said the programme was building on the success of the previous two years.

"The Mentoring Foundation founders have worked with partners to establish a programme designed by the community sector, for the community sector. And this year we are more actively adding the ingredient of learning through a cohort connection."

Patrick said the "cohort connection" meant that the mentoring pairs would benefit from inspirational speakers during the six-month programme, so their learning could "leap ahead".

There is a cost of $150 for each mentee and the mentor role is voluntary.

Interested people can apply online at www.mentoringfoundation.org.nz/our-programmes or contact Nicola Patrick at thrivewhanganui1@gmail.com or 027 871 6459.