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  As a first-time participant in the Joe Charles Mentor Leadership Program, I organized my agenda for my first contact with my mentee, Paul Adam. My agenda included the following: 1) Introductions, 2) Determine Paul's goal or purpose for participating in the mentor program, 3) Determine Paul's time commitment and desired frequency of contact, 4) Discuss next steps, and 5) Emphasize that the door is always open for him to contact me at any time for any topic. Our first call was on February 20. Paul seemed surprised and impressed that I had a proposed 5-point agenda. As we were enjoying sharing our backgrounds in the introduction section, I realized I had a lot more to say but maybe that's because I'm twice his age! Paul instantly concluded: "I know why they matched us up. I'm a twin and you have twins!" Not sure if you (Shawn) were quite that insightful, but of course I agreed. We also have career backgrounds in common since I work for a bank and Paul used to work at a bank. The introductions were fun and really helped to break the ice. I could see we were off to a good start. As we began discussing Paul's goals, it was refreshing for Paul to ask me What my goal was for being a mentor in the program. Surprised at the question, I told him my goal was to help him achieve his goal. If he found our interaction beneficial, then I would have succeeded. Being a senior and 3 months away from graduation, Paul's primary goal is improving his career search process. He is very focused on what career he is going to pursue upon completing school. In our second call, we discussed 6 ways to successfully pursue interviews. We also discussed frequently asked questions in interviews, how to answer those questions, and what questions to ask. Paul is now away for a week on Spring Break with 16 brothers in Florida. I'm looking forward to our third call when he returns. I've enjoyed getting to know Paul and believe our discussions have helped him to prepare and be more successful at pursuing his career aspirations. Thanks for having me as a mentor in the Leadership Program.
Rich Macha
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