Hi Reader
There is a story I hear almost every week.
A leader shares that they were matched with a mentor in the past, but nothing really changed. No clear goals. No structure. No follow through.
Just conversations that felt comforting in the moment, then vanished the second the corridor got loud again.
The problem was never mentoring.
The problem was that no one showed them how to use mentoring.
Reviews and reseach of mentoring in nursing and healthcare keep saying the same thing. Programs lift confidence, problem solving, and intention to stay when they are structured and supported. When they are loose or unclear, they drift and people eventually disengage.
Below are three signals I look for in any mentoring partnership. They show whether mentoring moments are transforming leadership or simply creating the illusion of support.
The leader stops working in the dark
Good mentoring clears the fog.
A manager in a previous Hyphae cohort said she always felt one step behind. She spent her week reacting. Every decision felt heavier than it should.
By the second mentoring session, she started arriving with one question: “What is the one thing I must move this week to make next week easier?" She talked her decision making through with her mentor. Work started to feel more purposeful and steady.
That change matters. Not just for confidence, but because she finally had a protected space to think that was not soaked up by day to day fires.
Structured mentoring in healthcare shows similar patterns.
Leaders who use it to sort real decisions report clearer roles, smoother transitions, and a stronger pull to stay rather than step away.
Mentoring turns into a decision habit
In strong partnerships, leaders do not just talk.
They practise how they decide.
One simple tool is the 3 Line Ask.
What I see. What I worry about. What I need approved now.
One supervisor told me this alone changed her week. She stopped parking decisions in her head for weeks. She started sending short, focused asks and getting answers within minutes instead of days. Her team stopped hovering in limbo and started moving again.
When mentoring leans into real decisions, leaders report better collaboration, stronger leadership capability, and lower stress. They are not just coping. They are steering.
Momentum returns
This is the moment I wait for. The one sentence that signals mentoring is doing its job.
“I did not realise I could make this easier.”
Sometimes that looks like:
- Cutting one low value meeting and using the time for real supervision
- Finally having the conversation they have replayed in their head for months
- Starting a simple system that stops the same problem circling back
In past Hyphae cohorts, I have watched leaders stop trying to fix everything and start fixing the right thing. They walk into their week with a plan, not just a list.
That is not magic. That is mentoring done well.
📖 Read the full article here: https://www.hyphaenetwork.com/latest-news-2/mentoring-isnt-magic-its-management-done-well
Why I am sharing this with you?
Many of you on this list already carry other people’s load. You debrief your team when their day goes sideways. You steady the room when reform noise spikes. You translate decisions so they make sense on the floor.
Often you do all of that without anyone doing the same for you.
At the same time, workforce signals are getting louder.
Team vacancies keep opening faster than we can fill them.
Leaders are holding more complexity, more regulation, and more emotional load, often with the same or fewer supports.
Mentoring will not repair every fracture, but it is one of the supports most often linked with better satisfaction, stronger leadership, and more people choosing to stay.
If you felt a yes reading this, forward this email to the person who mirrors your experience. Strong managers often need someone else to name the weight before they can ask for help.
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Your reflection for this week
Who do you go to when you need clarity Who comes to you? What would change if both of you had structured support?
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Small systems. Real support. That is the work.
Warmly,
P.S. Are you ready for stronger mentoring program. Just for you.
The Hyphae Mentoring Program is opening in early 2026. There are only 20 places. Consider securing your seat early.
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Six months. Six conversations.
One mentor who understands your world.
Structured support for leaders who’ve led reform from the front and want to sustain it.
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👉 Learn more about the Hyphae Mentoring Program https://www.hyphaenetwork.com/mentee
👉 Become a Hyphae Mentor https://www.hyphaenetwork.com/mentor
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