The Big “I” Diversity Council is expanding it’s mentorship efforts!
The mentorship program exists to provide a space where members can ask questions, share experiences, gain confidence, and build relationships that strengthen both individual careers and our industry as a whole.
The goal of the program is to connect emerging and experienced professionals in a collaborative environment that encourages learning, leadership, and long-term success within the industry.
“What I appreciated most about the program was the ability to develop a relationship that focused on the business and was personal. We both grew from the relationship.”
Raquel Tillman, Mentee from Tillman Insurance Advisors
Mentees
- Current member of any Big “I” state association
- Demonstrate a willingness to learn, grow, and actively engage in the mentorship experience
- Commit to participating in scheduled meetings and maintaining regular communication with their mentor
- Be open to feedback, new perspectives, and professional development opportunities
- Complete any required program applications, surveys, or orientation materials
- Be willing to invest time and effort into making the partnership successful
Mentors
- Commit to regular communication and meaningful engagement with mentee throughout the program
- Share knowledge, experiences, insights, and professional guidance in an encouraging and constructive manner
- Foster a supportive environment built on trust, professionalism, and respect
- Help mentees identify goals, explore opportunities, and navigate professional growth
- Provide honest, thoughtful feedback while encouraging confidence
- Be responsive, reliable, and respectful of agreed-upon meeting times and commitments
- Complete any required program surveys, check-ins, or orientation materials
- We invite company partners to serve as mentors!
Fill out the Mentorship Program Intake Form to be connected with a mentor or mentee. Please allow up to 10 business days to receive a response from the Big “I” team regarding your match.
If you have any problems with the online application please let us know here.
Please contact Jamie Behymer, Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Young Agents, if you have any questions.
Mentorship Overview
Mentors will share their expertise and time to empower and help a mentee set and navigate their goals.
Are you ready to be a mentor?
- Time & Consistency: Are you ready to dedicate time supporting your mentee?
- Listen: Be ready to listen and get to know your mentee.
- Experiences: Share stories about your life experiences with your mentee.
- Establish Goals: Help the mentee determine goals to help create a roadmap to success. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Empower Independence: Provide action steps, research and thought work between meetings to help build confidence.
- Accountability: Check-in when necessary.
- Trust: Ensure your discussions are kept strictly between you and your mentee.
- Learn Together: Consider books, articles, podcasts, webinars, and more that you can share and learn from together.
Mentees should be ready to share goals, setbacks, and opportunities. Be coachable and ready to navigate new phases in your career.
Are you ready to be a mentee?
- Are you ready to devote time, thought, and energy to taking the next step in your career? Committing to mentorship helps you create a personalized path to success.
- Candid: Be open and honest about where you are in your career.
- Coachable: Your mentor will share experiences. Enjoy their stories and be open to their tenured guidance.
- Goal Oriented: Be ready to establish measurable goals then commit the time and energy to taking next steps.
- Accountable: Complete your tasks, research, and thought work on time.
- Document: Create a shared space to keep notes, next steps, and follow-up.
- Trust: Your conversations with your mentor are confidential.
- Learn Together: Consider books, articles, podcasts, webinars, and more that you can share and learn from together.
Collaboration Resources
- Google Drive: Create a shared Google document to keep track of notes, links, and more between meetings.
- Trello: Track your conversations on a virtual workspace (like sticky notes).
- Microsoft Loop: Work together with page templates, and collaboration tools.
- Microsoft Teams: You can connect with someone outside of your organization on Teams with their email address. This includes 1:1 chats or creating an existing group.
- Basecamp: The free account includes management of one project. The platform includes a message board, file storage, schedule, and tasks.
Program Guide
The following can be used as a guide to help with your monthly connections. Mentees should be responsible for scheduling the call cadence or individual meetings, based on what works best for both mentor and mentee schedules.
3-month Mentorship: You can anticipate one meeting a month. For your first call, we recommend the content in Meeting 1. For your second call, select content from Meetings 2-5 that is most applicable to you. For your final call, you can use the content from Meeting 6.
6-month Mentorship: Content can be followed based on preference of the mentorship pair. The meetings do not need to happen in sequential order.
Objectives:
- Build rapport
- Establish expectations
- Identify goals for the mentorship experience
Discussion Questions:
- Introduce yourself. Share your career journey and current role.
- What attracted you to the insurance industry?
- What are you hoping to gain from this mentorship experience?
- What skills or areas of knowledge would you like to develop?
- Where do you see yourself professionally in the next 3-5 years?
Action Item:
- Identify 2-3 goals to focus on throughout the mentorship program.
Objectives:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- Explore career pathways
- Learn from experience
Discussion Questions:
- What experiences most influenced your career growth?
- What skills are most important for long-term success in our industry?
- What opportunities do you see for growth within the industry?
- If you were starting your career again today, what would you do differently?
Action Item:
- Identify one skill or area of expertise to strengthen over the next month.
Objectives:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- Understand the value of professional relationships
- Discuss networking strategies
Discussion Questions:
- How has networking impacted your career?
- What advice would you give someone new to industry events?
- How do you build meaningful relationships with clients, carriers, and peers?
- What professional organizations or volunteer opportunities have been valuable to you?
- How can emerging professionals expand their network authentically?
Action Item:
- Make one new professional connection before your next meeting.
Objectives:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- Explore leadership development
- Discuss reputation and professional presence
Discussion Questions:
- What does leadership mean to you?
- How can someone lead without a formal leadership title?
- What leadership qualities have helped you succeed?
- What do you want to be known for professionally?
Action Item:
- Identify one habit that will strengthen your leadership presence or personal brand.
Objectives:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- Discuss obstacles and lessons learned
- Explore sustainable career success
Discussion Questions:
- What has been the biggest challenge in your career?
- How do you navigate setbacks or difficult conversations?
- What advice would you give someone experiencing self-doubt?
- How do you manage competing priorities and responsibilities?
- What practices help you stay engaged and motivated?
Action Item:
- Reflect on one challenge you are currently facing and identify a potential next step.
Objectives:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- Reflect on key learnings
- Celebrate progress
- Create a plan for continued development
Discussion Questions:
- What has been your biggest takeaway from this mentorship experience?
- Which goals did you accomplish or make progress toward?
- What areas would you like to continue developing?
- What advice would you give your future self?
- How will you continue investing in your professional growth?
Action Item:
- Create a personal development plan with 2-3 goals for the next year. Keep in touch with your mentor to share your progress!
If you don’t need a fully structured program, below are a few questions that can help guide your discussion.
Discussion Questions:
- Status update: Pulse on completion of action items and areas you need help with
- What’s something you’re proud of since we last spoke?
- Is there anything new that has happened that you would like feedback on?
- What do you need from your mentor today: Advice, a sounding board, or just someone to listen?
Action Item:
- Schedule your next call and identify future conversation topics.