8 ways to do better mentoring: 1. Agree on expectations and process upfront by having a kickoff meeting to clarify roles, projects, challenges and success metrics. 2. Explain that ideas are built iteratively using alignment, building, communication, and improvement cycles. 3. Encourage "forcing moments" like hackathons or pitch events to accelerate progress. 4. Clarify objectives first by understanding what would cause failure before building. 5. Encourage facing reality that most ideas fail and focusing on the biggest risks early. 6. Encourage cutting scope and focus by doing less but better through iterative improvements. 7. Bring in other people and second opinions to provide outside

1. 8ways to do better Mentoring …
From Bad to Great Mentoring

2. About me
10 Start-ups in 6 countries (8 winners, 1 loser, 1 ?)
Former director Founder Institute/ Inacademy /Fast Bridge
I help people in small and larger companies build the
companies of their dreams
Writing a new book:
CYCLES
The Simplest, Scientifically Proven Way To Build Your Business
2 Beliefs
1. 10/90 rule. In most businesses, people want to do well,
but 10% of success = people, 90% process
2. With the right systems, almost anyone can succeed
Bryan Cassady

3. What I see working with scaleups…
1. An incredible focus on the positive
2. A continual search for silver bullets
3. Scared to ask for help
4. If they ask, too much done internally
5. What they want to do lacks clarity & focus
6. Lack of systems / Lack of urgency
7. Avoid tough decisions and stay in a business too long
A good mentor brings a dose of reality, and helps them focus and make tough decisions
faster

4. Some people don’t like mentors… Why?

5. 8ways to do better Mentoring …

6. 1. Agree expectations and a process up-front
Kick off meeting
Agree roles / process
Clarify project
What are you doing/why
What is success (talk about value
creation and capture)
Big challenges
What do you really know
Death Threats
Agenda meeting #1
Action to resolve biggest death threats
Ongoing meetings
Key learnings (10)
Make decisions (5)
What is the biggest challenge now (10)
What will you do to resolve this challenge
What can you stop to focus energies
How can I help
Update backlog/ to do / done
Note : if you agree dates up-front it will be easier for you and more effective

7. The best tool ever
(Thanks Scrum)
Work backlog Do now Done

8. A = Alignment
B = Build ideas
C = Communicate and Check
S = Systematically improve
2. Explain ideas are built.
Think in terms of the ABCs

9. Based on 4 years of research with over 400
companies
There are companies that succeed and
companies that fail. The biggest difference
between winners and losers is smart
winners make good, even mediocre,
ideas great over time.
The Reality…
Value
Time
Start
Learning
Cycles
No
Changes
Bad
Cycles
Winners
Winners
Losers
Losers

10. Cycles: The ABC’s Of Growth.
Cycle 1
Cycle 2
Cycle 3
Cycle 4
Cycle 5
Align/Ask
Build
Communicate
Check
Systematically
Improve
Value * Value
Capture
Time
Link with Lean Start-up

11. 3. Encourage Forcing Moments
Almost anything works faster with a deadline
• Inspiration days
• Pitch events (with internal / external judges)
• Hackathons
Up and running in 82 cities. Moments of truth
(they call them forcing moments) is their secret sauce

12. Forcing moments for better ideas
Friend and Family
Day
Really Ugly
Meetup
Event
Still Ugly
Speak at
Conference
Less Ugly
Investor
Presentation
Good Enough

13. Smart Speed
A study by Economist intelligence with 312
companies split into 2 groups:
1. Go, go, go
2. Think, go , think, go (paused at strategic
moments)
The companies with strategic pauses
achieved: 40% higher sales, 52% higher
profits
Moments of Truth
Are the times to
stop and think

14. What they want
And what they do not
want
4. Clarify First

15. 5. Facing reality – most ideas fail.

16. The right first question
“If this business fails, why will it fail”
- - -
Then encourage them to work on this
question…
Why: 60% Faster

17. The biggest death threat
is always building “it” before you are sure
you have the right it

18. Pretotyping … Fake it before making it
IBM speech to text example

19. Thoughtland to Action Land
Walhub xyz test
https://vimeo.com/79313674

20. 6. Encourage cutting and focus

21. 7. Bring in other people, make introductions
& encourage 2nd opinions
If you want to move
fast/effectively, it is usually
not what a start-up knows,
but who they know that
makes the difference
Source: Innovation Engineering

22. 8. Remember the secret of your success will probably
not be the secret of their success
It is your challenge to help them find their own answer…

23. What a mentor needs to do
Mentors want the companies they are
working with to succeed!
This desire makes it easy to want
to help too much.
Great mentors, help, support, but don’t
push decisions.
They know the founders needs to be remain
responsible
Mentors
don’t push
decisions

24. Summary: 8 Ways to do better Mentoring
1. Agree expectations and a process up-front
It is your business/ what is success, I am ready to help, but it is your
business
Forcing moments
The same questions again and again (What did you learn,
Objectives this cycle)
2. Explain ideas are built / Think in terms of the ABCs
3. Encourage forcing moments
4. Clarify first (Ask, listen, clarify and put things in writing – True North)
5. Facing reality – most ideas fail. Focus on big issues first (pre-mortem
tools, the right it before building it)
6. Encourage cutting and focus (less = more , sequential always beats
parallel, help with a do not do list, use Scrum “do later”)
7. Bring in other people / make introductions / encourage 2nd opinions
8. Remember the secret of your success will probably not be the secret of
their success (it is your challenge to help them find their own answer)

25. Let’s connect
Bryan@bryancassady.com
www.bryancassady.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryancassady/