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Imagine you approached someone you admired, and boldly asked that person to mentor you. And the answer was “Yes!” But a year into the relationship, those monthly mentoring sessions might not invigorate you like they used to, and aren’t quite as energizing for the mentor, either.
4 Types Of Questions To Ask A Mentor
1. Stories
To break the ice, have your mentor tell a story from his or her own career. Hey, everybody likes to talk about themselves! For example, you could inquire: “How did you get to where you are today?” or “How did you land your current role?” But you could also ask more specific questions that address your career objectives and concerns. Some questions to consider:
• Was there a time you messed up and felt like you’d failed? How did you bounce back?
• How did you learn to embrace risk-taking?
• Tell me about a exact business setback. How did you recover?
• Think back to five years ago. Did you envision your career as it is today?
• Was there ever a role you applied for and landed, but weren't 100% qualified to do? How did you proceed?
• What do you wish you had known before taking your first management role?
• Which leadership skills were the most difficult to develop?
• Can you tell me about a time when you had a difficult boss? How did you handle the situation?
• What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned and how has it proven invaluable?
• How did you develop the skill of speaking so engagingly in front of groups?
2. Situations
Now that the conversation is flowing, get more granular in your requests and bring a specific situation to your mentor--one that you’d like help navigating. For example:
• I tried to delegate a task last week and it did not go well. Can we work through what to do differently next time?
• Who are the people I need to align with in this organization to achieve success?
• My boss said I need to be more strategic. What does that mean?
• How can I let my boss know that I don’t need to be micromanaged?
• How can I stay connected to key influencers who do not work in same office or geographical area?
• When trying to gain buy-in to implement a new program, what tactics have worked for you?
• My performance review is coming up. What type of preparation do you most appreciate seeing from your employees?
• I have two very different career path options available to me. Can you weigh in to help me make a final decision?
• I'm considering a career transition. What are some other areas of the business that might be a good fit for me?
• I’ve heard that taking a stretch assignment could help my career trajectory. What are the pros and cons?
3. Self-Awareness
One of the greatest gifts you can provide yourself is the gift of self-awareness, meaning the ability to see yourself as others view you. That way, if you like how you’re perceived, you can embrace it and take steps to strengthen that positive perception. If you don’t like how you are currently perceived, you can take steps to shift that perception to a more positive one that supports, rather than undermines, your career and leadership goals.
After starting with the obvious question: “How do you think others perceive me?” become more specific, so your mentor can assist by “holding up the mirror” and providing detailed feedback on how your actions and communication are impacting the way others see you. Ask questions such as:
• How am I viewed? In other words, what's my personal brand in our organization?
• Where do you see my strengths?
• What do you see as some of my blind spots and how can I improve?
• How I am viewed by leadership?
• What do people say about me when I’m not in the room?
• Could you offer feedback on ways to Improve my executive presence?
• Do I come across as strategic or tactical in my day-to-day communication?
• Am I viewed as high-maintenance when I send my boss weekly status updates?
• How could I have communicated my idea more clearly?
• When I presented at the last meeting, how did I do? Did my communication style support the message I intended to deliver?
4. Skill-Building
Is there a skill you’re currently working to enhance, such as project management, long-term strategic planning, delegating, or public speaking? Use questions like these to ask your mentor for advice and resources to help you polish that skill:
• How can I become a more assertive negotiator?
• Can we role-play asking for a raise and a promotion?
• How can I become better at managing people who do not report to me?
• Do you have any quick tips for re-energizing an overworked team?
• Can you recommend a book or resource for dealing with difficult conversations?
• What practices can you recommend for dealing with nervousness when speaking to groups?
• I have been asked to facilitate a team-building activity at a staff retreat. What are some keys to success?
• What’s a good methodology or tool for project management and tracking team commitments?
• Do you have a template that you use for long-range visioning and strategic planning?
• What new skills do I need to move ahead?
With these four types of questions and their accompanying examples, you’ll never sit through another mentoring conversation wondering if the other person is finding the discussion useful. And provide this list to those whom you mentor, encouraging them to use it to maximize the value of the time you spend together.
Grab a partner — friend, lover or stranger — and get ready to get intimate.
With this app, drawn from a study discussed in The New York Times and designed in consultation with the study's first author, you and a partner can test if mutual vulnerability brings you closer together.
Before you begin, you or your partner should read the following instructions aloud:
- For each question, one of us should read the prompt aloud, and then we should each take a turn answering before moving on.
- It is important to answer each question, in order.
- The questions are divided into three sets. Each set lasts 15 minutes.
- After the third set of questions, there is an optional final task.
- We should not rush through the questions but answer each at a normal, conversational pace.
- We probably won’t get to all 12 questions in each set, and that’s perfectly O.K.
For inspiration, read Mandy Len Catron's Modern Love essay, “To Fall In Love With Anyone, Do This,” the study by Arthur Aron, Edward Melinat, Elaine N. Aron, Robert Darrin Vallone and Renee J. Bator, originally published in the Personality and Social Psychology Journal (PDF) and a blog post on how the study came to be.
The first question rolled in at 6:27 a.m. Sunday, while I was still in bed:
“Do you reject white supremacy and extremist groups, the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer?”
Well, yes, I do, but I am guessing this question is meant for Joe Kent, the Republican who unseated Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in the 3rd Congressional District primary.
On Sunday, we asked readers to send in their questions for Kent and his opponent, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Both candidates are new to Southwest Washington politics. We are doing our best to introduce these relative strangers to our readers.
Thus the solicitation of reader questions. As of Thursday, we had received more than 80 responses.
We want to use the questions in a variety of ways. First of all, reporter Lauren Ellenbecker has reached out to both candidates’ campaigns and asked for interviews, where we will try to work some of the questions into the mix. And Lauren is set to be one of the media panelists at a debate between the two candidates sponsored by the League of Women Voters. It is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Vancouver Community Library. And finally, we have invited the candidates to a joint interview with The Columbian’s Editorial Board. If they agree, we can use the questions there.
Now, 80 questions are too many for even the most patient of candidates. Luckily, many questions fall into patterns.
- Several of them, like the first one we received, are about a candidate’s alliances. Most of those are directed at Kent, who has received the endorsement of Donald Trump. One or two seem to be directed more toward the Democrat. Lincoln Wolverton, for example, asked whether Congress should have a select committee investigate Hunter Biden.
- Many readers want to know about how the candidates stand on abortion rights, with some specifics. “Would you vote for a federal law limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy?” asks Anne Brock of Brush Prairie.
- Probably the most popular question is a version of this one from Michael Jaffe of Vancouver: “Who do you believe won the 2020 presidential election? If your answer is not Joe Biden, why do you believe that? What is your proof?”
- A lot of readers are also asking a version of a question posed by Debra Di Piazza of Vancouver: “How can we lower the temperature and come together as Washingtonians, so we can find real, lasting solutions to real issues and concerns?” I want to know the answer to that one myself!
- I was surprised how few questions involve federal policies. A couple of readers want to know where the candidates stand on Social Security or Medicare — a pre-primary attack ad criticized Kent — and another reader is concerned that Gluesenkamp Perez seems to have no position on foreign policy. I saw a question about climate change and another about forest management.
Maybe that shouldn’t be too surprising. In an informal poll of Columbian readers I posted Monday, 54 percent of respondents said what matters most to them in this race is “The candidates’ moral character and conservative/liberal views.” Only 28 percent thought candidates’ views on local and regional issues were the most important. The remaining 17 percent said they thought the candidates’ views on national and international issues was most important.
There is still time to submit your question at www.columbian.com/clark-asks. If you don’t use a computer, mail your question to me in care of The Columbian, P.O. Box 180, Vancouver, WA 98666.
After the last two 3rd Congressional District campaigns featured well-known and well-financed candidates, we are all curious as these much more populist campaigns unfold. We’ll do our best to answer the questions.
Craig Brown is The Columbian’s editor. 360-735-4514 or craig.brown@columbian.com
DuMOL winery in California’s Russian River Valley in Sonoma County has been making earthy, complex wines for more than two decades.
Founded in 1996 and named after the first winemaker’s children (Duncan and Molly), DuMOL winery built its reputation based on its commitment to creating captivating wines using only two types of grapes - pinot noir and chardonnay.
DuMOL now makes some wines using other grapes, including syrah and cabernet sauvignon. But they’re still best known for their elegant chardonnays and refined pinor noirs.
What’s the secret to their success?
Each wine vividly brings to life the Russian River Valley’s unique sense of place. Like France’s Burgundy region, this part of Northern California often has cool, damp weather. But unlike Burgundy, the Pacific Ocean’s very close by, giving DuMOL wines their truly distinct, misty flavors and aromas.
For more than 20 years, winemaker and co-owner Andy Smith has been at the helm of DuMOL, leading a diverse team of committed employees. In exact years, that dedicated team has included associate winemaker Jenna Davis.
This week, you can learn more about DuMOL’s winemaking philosophy and Davis’ approach to winemaking, along with my tasting notes for three, recently DuMOL wines.
Hope you enjoy.
10 QUESTIONS FOR DUMOL WINEMAKER JENNA DAVIS
1) What are your first wine memories? Did you grow up in a wine-drinking family in Ohio? Or were you introduced to wine some other way?
I actually found my way to wine through my love of horticulture. Growing up in southwest Ohio, winemaking was not a career many people considered. Early on, I worked at a local plant nursery and was always on the lookout to discover a career that involved agriculture and keep me out of an office. In high school I met a woman named Karen Culler, who was from Ohio and had become a winemaker in Napa Valley. I went and visited Karen during one summer break and she took me through the vineyards, sampled ripe berries off the vines, and took me to a beautiful stone cellar where she was fermenting her wines. After that experience I was determined to become a winemaker!
2) What wines did you first enjoy and have your tastes changed over the years?
Like many people, I started drinking inexpensive, mass-produced wines in college. After I graduated from Ohio State University, I made the move across the country to Napa and I got extremely lucky and was hired on as the harvest intern working in the vineyards at Opus One. This was my first experience with high-end, vineyard focused wines and where I truly fell in love with winegrowing. Interestingly, it was while working in Australia, with an Australian winemaker who was passionate about pinot noir that I was exposed to some life changing Sonoma pinot noir. This is when I decided Sonoma pinot noir and chardonnay is where I would ideally like to land and put down my winemaking roots.
3) Why did you decide to become a winemaker?
As a teenager, when I first learned about winemaking as a career option, I was instantly fascinated. I loved the idea of growing something, working with and under mother nature’s control, and crafting something from start to finish. With each step in my career, from brewing beer in Columbus, Ohio and working harvests in California and Australia, to getting a master’s degree in winemaking, I became more and more wildly passionate. My path was gradual and with each step I took deeper into the world of wine, I became more determined to make it my profession.
4) On the winery’s website about the wineres staff, it states, “We live the wine. It’s not just a vocation.” Is that true for you? Please explain.
Winemaking is a really unique job. Each year, we get one attempt to make the best wine we can from these particular vines that we have been tending to all year and in some cases for decades. Every year is different. There are always unforeseen challenges and problems to be solved, and it is always a lot of hard physical work; but that’s the fun and beauty of it! It can become a bit addicting, the life and the pursuit to craft the best wines you can from these spectacular sites.
5) How would you describe DuMol’s wines to someone unfamiliar with them?
At DuMOL we are dedicated to crafting highly nuanced, vineyard-focused pinot noirs and chardonnays from distinctive sites in the cool-climate Green Valley of the Russian River Valley. I think our wines are extremely balanced and expressive. We are fortunate to work and farm some of the best sites in Sonoma. Each vineyard is unique and each wine will taste different, depending which specific parcel the grapes come from. Some wines will be crunchier and more red-fruited, while others will have a silkier texture with more deep, dark flavors. No matter the specific expression, our wines are balanced with great concentration of flavor. Additionally, the lovely bright and lifted acidity allows them to be enjoyed with food and aged for many years.
6) What should someone pay attention to when they’re tasting DuMol’s wines?
Since the inaugural 1996 harvest, DuMOL has thoughtfully assembled a portfolio of more than two dozen distinctive estate and grower-partner vineyards, some of which we have worked with for more than 25 years. Each vineyard is specifically and precisely farmed in an attempt to reveal its signature, the defining characteristics of each site expressed through the fruit. To achieve that, our viticulture places the vine at the center of the discussion, emphasizing soil and vine health, which allows us to have a light touch. We aim to minimize external inputs across the vineyards and winemaking, taking a pragmatic approach based on what each vintage gives us. By working with such high-quality grapes, we are able to take a very light touch approach in our winemaking.
7) What have you learned about winemaking at DuMol that you didn’t know before?
Winemaking is such a stimulating job because there are constantly new things to learn. You can dive deeply into so many different facets of winemaking such as soil science, plant physiology, fermentation chemistry, phenolic extractions, and barrel impacts. Each vintage you only get one shot at making your wines, so it really lends itself to a lifetime of learning and growing as a winemaker. An aspect that you learn very early on is the importance of the vineyard site. Every serious producer will tell you; the most critical factor of winemaking is site. Like any great chef, you are only as good as your raw ingredients. Related, I have also learned to trust the grapes of these great sites. If you put the proper time into the viticulture and the quality is high when the grapes are harvested, you can trust the quality of the grapes, and don’t need to intervene. We have been working with some of our vineyards for over 20 years and with that experience comes the confidence and ability to know and trust the grapes. This allows us to take a very hands-off approach to winemaking.
8) On the winery’s website about the winery’s philosophy, it states that “Each bottling is built in the vineyard.” What do you consider your role as a winemaker at DuMol?
At DuMOL, we focus on site-specific wines that are expressive of their terroir. Through our connection to the land, to the fruit, and to the season, we are able to identify different expressions of a single site and determine our blends in the vineyard before the wine ever reaches the cellar. The result is a true translation of what the season and the land provide us. Our wines are authentic and classic, made with minimal intervention. While they may vary depending on where the vineyard site is located, they still always have a deep concentration and beautiful purity. We firmly believe that each DuMOL wine tells an original story. These stories begin in the vineyard, some of which go back to the early 1960s when our oldest vines were planted. They build upon that base with the narrative of each vintage, describing through taste, texture, and perfume, the unique agricultural and climatic circumstances that we are presented with each year. Each wine is molded by vintage, crafted in the vineyard, and stewarded through the winery to the table.
9) How has this year’s growing season been going so far? Do you expect a great vintage for 2022?
We have great expectations for the 2022 harvest. We have had a relatively cool growing season with compounding years of drought. So, the berries are small and the yields slightly low, leading to a lot of fresh intensity. Now we patiently wait for the ferments to finish and for the long 15-month elevage in barrel.
10) Do you have a personal favorite DuMol wine or vintage? And if so, why? What is it about that particular wine that you love?
We have a very light touch in our winemaking. Our goal is to make site driven wines that taste of place, so our wines will naturally express the unique characteristics of the vintage which allows for new and exciting favorites every year. Winemaker, viticulturist and partner Andy Smith planted a set of east-facing ridgetops in the Green Valley district of the Russian River Valley in 2004. Located 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Estate is planted to 30 acres and divided into four contiguous parcels. Our Estate Vineyard wines are always one of my favorites. Our Estate Vineyard is planted at very high vine density which drives a truly unique tasting wine teeming with vineyard expression.
WINE TASTING NOTES
2019 DuMOL Estate Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes – Elegant, buttery, earthy red wine with soft hints of cherry, raspberry, blackberry and black licorice. Long, smooth finish. Understated aromas and flavors. A true masterpiece from start to finish. (Available for purchase in stores and online)
2019 DuMOL Highland Divide Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes – An even softer red wine from the winery’s highest elevation vineyard. Its soft raspberry flavors have floral notes as well which provide this wine a beautiful finish. There’s also just enough depth to its flavors to make this a wonderful sipping wine to enjoy for hours. (Available for purchase in stores and online)
2019 DuMOL Highland Divide Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Tasting Notes – This white wine from the same vineyard as the previous wine also has floral flavors and aromas. However, in this particular case, those bright, light flavors include peach and lemon, along with hints of elderflower and sea salt. (Available for purchase in stores and online)
Cheers!
(Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend section every Thursday. Older “Wine Press” articles can be found here. Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.)
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Now that Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian has delayed the start date for its incoming class of associates until next January, all eyes are focused on whether other large law firms will follow.
Several industry observers said, while they weren’t aware of other big firms that had deferred associate start dates, Gunderson’s move may now provide more freedom for others to follow suit.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-associate-heads-to-trial-over-alleged-illegal-foreign-lobbying-11663502402
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PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, Sept. 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TOGA LIMITED (OTC: TOGL) (“Toga” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has engaged J&S Associate as its new independent registered public accounting firm to replace Marcum LLP. The change of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm was approved by the Audit Committee of its Board of Directors on July 8, 2022.
Contact:
TOGA LIMITED
515 S. Flower Street, 18th Floor,
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tel: (+1)(949) 333-1603
