VCCI - AmCham Business Mentoring Program

AmCham is one of the business associations cooperating with VCCI in the Business Monitoring Progrem, along with EuroCham and the 2030 Business Club.

The objective is the program is to build capacity among young entrepreneurs in Vietnam, to support their development and the requirements of international economic integration for Vietnamese business leaders.

Please click this link to download a registration form, complete it and fax to VCCI.

Fax to: 08 932 1790 or 08 932 5472

For further information, please call VCCI at 08 932 5169.

What is mentoring?

“Mentoring is the offering of advice, information, or guidance by a person with useful experience, skills or expertise for another individual’s personal and professional development.”

Who is a Mentor?

A Mentor is a specialist or experienced manager from foreign companies, multinational corporations or big Vietnamese companies who will assist young Vietnamese entrepreneurs in achieving their career goals by giving advice and guidance, and by sharing knowledge and insight of their experience.

Who is a Mentee?

A Mentee is a young Vietnamese entrepreneur between the ages of 24 and 35 and in the first five years of their business, who is interested in seeking the help of a mentor to help deal with their business challenges / issues, and who want to improve and grow their business(es).

How does mentoring work?

On a one-to-one basis.

The selection and matching of mentors and mentees will be done jointly by VCCI with the concerned partners and based on the registration forms of mentors and mentees. Click this link for a registration form for AmCham member and associate company managers to complete.

Mentoring meetings will be carried out once a month. The meeting time and place will be agreed upon by mentor and mentee and then reported to VCCI.

Open and honest interaction between participants.

Identify the challenges / issues that needed to be mentored.

Find alternative ways of resolving challenges / issues.

The mentoring relationship is recorded and reviewed quarterly.

Duration

The Business Mentoring Program will be for one year.

The location can be mutually agreed upon between Mentor and Mentee.

Mentees have to arrange their own interpreter from their company(ies) if needed.

It will be up to Mentors to decide whether they will entertain emails and phone calls from their mentees in between each mentoring session.

Guidelines for Mentors

During a mentoring relationship the Mentor may be called upon to fill the role of advisor, coach, and role-model while giving guidance and moral support to their mentee. These roles can contribute to assisting the Mentee to over come challenges they now have or will encounter in business planning.

Building a successful mentoring relationship

Some important qualities and skills that are required of a mentor to establish the foundation for a successful mentoring relationship include:

show a genuine interest in taking an active role in the Mentee’s continuous learning and development
generate trust
be willing to listen and share experience
use open-ended questions
assist in the prioritization of the Mentee’s business goals and agreed sub-tasks
implement the agreed goals and sub-tasks within the defined time period
be confidential

Mentor’s preparations for the first mentoring meeting

Get an overview of the Mentee’s business status.

Clarify the Mentee’s goals and expectations of the mentoring program.

Check the Mentee’s expectations in the next meeting.

Arrange the next meeting time and location and, if possible, draw up a schedule for future meetings.

Guidelines for Mentees

In the Business Mentoring Program, Mentees are young Vietnamese entrepeneurs who are facing challenges / management issues on the way to setting up their business.

The role of the Mentee

With the support of the Mentor, the Mentee will try their best to build a successful mentoring relationship. To achieve this, some important qualities and skills required of a Mentee include:

appreciate and be willing to listen to the advice and guidance of the Mentor
respect and trust in the Mentor
honestly interact with the Mentor about challenges / issues that your business is facing, and what skills need to be advised
clarify Mentor’s and Mentee’s goals and expectations of the program
cooperate positively with the Mentor to implement the agreed goals and sub-tasks within a defined time period

Mentee’s preparations for the first mentoring meeting

Identify and be prepared to discuss challenges / issues that your business is facing, and skills that need to be mentored so that you can clarify your goals and expectations of the mentoring program.

Arrange interpreter, if necessary.

Discuss honestly the way of mentoring with the Mentor and your expectations in the next meeting.

Arrange the next meeting time and location and, if possible, draw up a schedule for future meetings.

Learn more about the power and promise of mentoring – for both Mentors and Mentees

Mentoring There are many perspectives on the definition of mentoring, especially since the relatively recent popularity of personal and professional coaching. Traditionally, mentoring might have been described as the activities conducted by a person (the mentor) for another person (the mentee) in order to help that other person to do a job more effectively and/or to progress in his (or her) career. The mentor was probably someone who had “been there, done that” before. A mentor might use a variety of approaches, eg, coaching, training, discussion, counseling, etc. Today, there seems to be much ongoing discussion and debate about the definitions and differences regarding coaching and mentoring.

Tips for Mentors Mentors need to adhere to certain behaviors (under the umbrella of “etiquette”) for mentors and mentees. For example, we urge pairs to discuss and come to agreement on such issues as the length of the relationship; frequency and types of meetings and other activities; how to give each other feedback; roles of the mentor, mentee, and mentee’s manager; and confidentiality. Click the link to learn more.

Tips for Mentees What mentee goals to set for these short, fast-moving, and vitally important chance-of-a-lifetime relationships? Start with Goal Areas, Not Specific Goals. By far, most mentees we encounter have a vague idea of what they want to work on, but they’re not sure. Yes, you should definitely be thinking about your personal vision and possible “goal areas” on which mentors could help. Spend time crafting one or more personal goals / visions you can picture for yourself in the next 1-5 years. Have some dreams and possible goal areas in mind, and also be open to unexpected possibilities. Click the link to learn more.

Mentoring for students in science and technology In order to succeed in today’s competitive environment, corporations must create a workplace climate that encourages employees to continue to learn and grow. MentorNet is pleased to collaborate with Dr. Lois Zachary, nationally recognized mentoring expert, to present this program that will offer guidance, practical advice, and case studies for all those who want to embed mentoring within their organization.