Outstanding Business Analyst: Intensive One-to-one Mentoring
Patricia, a very experienced BA contractor, tells her story of mentoring through us:
“Penny facilitated at the BA Summit in November of 2010, interviewing the excellent speakers and making the mp3 files available for download – a wonderful service that I took full advantage of.
This is how we met. We entered into discussion and she mentioned her ‘Outstanding Business Analyst’ intensive mentoring programme, which I took up with alacrity! I was at a point where I wanted to boost my career and thought this service was just the vehicle to do that. For various reasons, I was also low in morale and confidence, which Penny tactfully and carefully built up again throughout our work together through the following journey.
In January, 2011 I formally engaged with the programme, and booked my face-to-face half-day session with Penny in March. This included lunch at a lovely country tea-room, of course.
In between, we agreed on fortnightly calls of 50 minutes each. And Penny offered to be available for calls in between these agreed times as well! Indeed a high level of service.
Within one month, Penny put opportunity after opportunity my way, making me aware of what is ‘out there’ to tap into. She also sent me a Strengths Finder book and scheduled a Myers Briggs assessment for me. Wow. I didn’t expect this!
The pièce de résistance of Penny’s gentle, yet effective persuasion to get my confidence in the upswing, was to encourage me to make a submission to be a speaker at the third annual Business Analysis Conference Europe 2011. This was outside my comfort zone, as I had never before presented outside work parameters or to peers! But, I thought to myself ‘if I engage with a mentor and don’t do what they encourage me to do, what is the point in having one?’ – so I submitted and was accepted! The rest, as they say, is history.
Confidence is back big time and I thoroughly enjoyed the pain-free, fun, fully supported journey of getting there through Penny’s highly capable mentoring skills. She is very effective and quietly dynamic. I highly recommend Penny to you if you have need of an excellent mentor. ”
Patricia K, BA Contractor, UK
