Mentoring leadership journeys

What’s it all about?

As someone who offers mentoring as one of my services, people ask me quite frequently about the benefits of such a relationship and process. I talk about that in my blog post The Power of Mentoring from August this year, which not only highlights my personal journey as someone who has been mentored myself, but that also speaks to the great, many and powerful learning, insights, lightbulb moments etc, that all can occur in a mentoring relationship.

It can be life changing and it’s a privilege to be a part of people’s personal and professional growth, development, accomplishments and next steps.

So, why am I saying this, again, you ask?

Well, we find ourselves continuing to live and work in a challenging time. A recent pandemic which, it could be argued the cultural sector still hasn’t recovered from, to the recent announcement that the UK is officially in a recession, to the latest set of Arts Council England NPO funding decisions.

There’s a lot of turmoil out there.

I’m looking for leaders to mentor.

Are you a Chief Executive or Director? Do you run an arts, community or cultural organisation?

Now is the time to consider whether you think you need mentoring… It really can help you zoom out - gain some new perspective or insight on a situation (work or personal) and help you to refocus your energy, goals, decisions… the list goes on.

Don’t just take my word for it, read below some powerful testimonials from some of my past & current mentee clients….

Clients recently said these nice things about their mentoring experience with me…

“I first contacted Amy for advice about funding for my dance school during the pandemic, little did I know the impact that this would have! Amy’s mentorship has seen me through many personal and career milestones, her advice and support is infallible. Amy has incredible listening skills and manages to filter out an important take home message everytime we speak! As a mentee I always feel that Amy has hundred percent belief in my abilities, and through her guided coaching & active listening I have changed for the better, working smarter and with a clearer direction. Amy is extremely experienced and knowledgeable in a wide variety of creative careers and personal development, a truly hard working and talented individual who has a passion for helping others to succeed.”

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself”

- Abbi Thompson : Founder & Director of Diamondz Dance, Dance Artist & Choreographer

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“Amy is genuine, empathetic and certainly has my best interest at heart. She is an excellent listener and is therefore able to direct, guide, and challenge me in a very knowledgeable and supportive way. I cannot recommend her highly enough as a mentor.”

- Anonymous : Artistic Director of a Dance Company

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“During the pandemic, my performing arts business of a decade closed its doors. I was running out of options and suffering from an emotional concussion from the feeling of constantly hitting a brick wall in my professional & personal life. Upon reflection, whilst the world was in lockdowns, I figured something had to change, so I explored my options. I had been advised to invest in a mentor who could guide me. That’s when I found Amy. It became apparent very quickly that Amy would provide much more than guidance & advice but also a safe space to express myself and show vulnerability. I needed help figuring out the next steps, and Amy recognised this and provided me with options, which gave me purpose again. Through her personable character & willingness to share her well-rounded experience within the arts with others, she helped me to successfully pivot into a new career – and, more importantly, how to enjoy and trust the process. Amy introduced me to the subsidised funding world and virtually held my hand through my first Arts Council England bid, shortly followed by a Kent County Council bid – I was awarded both grants with a total value of £15.5K, this supported my Research & Development Project for a further 12 months, diversifying my income stream as a newly established Consultant & Producer, which has subsequently led me to gain new connections & build upon my knowledge, enabling seed ideas to grow into start-up enterprises. Since Amy has continually shown up month after month as a critical friend and much-appreciated sounding board, her perspective and ability to keep it real are highly valued; this has been imperative to conquering my “busy mind” and decision-making processes. I enjoy working with Amy on a consultant-client basis and as a valuable member of one another’s network, where sharing industry updates and opportunities is a regular occurrence. Regardless of how busy Amy’s schedule would be at times (she’s one popular lady), Amy has an effortless ability to make me feel important even when, at times, I didn’t feel that way about myself; I will be eternally grateful for her support and urge anyone who feels that they feel “stuck” to unstick yourselves and work with Amy.”

- Azaria Bradley : Performing Arts Business Specialist, Consultant & Producer

When we know the ‘why’ of our lives, we automatically reduce our stress load. Research indicates we’re able to endure short-term struggles with much more resilience if they’re helping us achieve our long-term goals.

- Dr. Ranjan Chatterjee

If you’re interested in chatting about mentoring, or just to ask whether it might be for you, pop me an email and we can explore it together. Email: hello@amydaltonhardy.co.uk