In the previous BANI sessions, we explored how mentoring can support individuals in a Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) world, as described by Jamais Cascio, an American anthropologist and futurist. I’ve decided to continue this theme in our webinar series, as the geo-political and economic situation globally appears to have become even more BANI in the first three months of 2025!
Effective mentoring can really support individuals through intense change and uncertainty
Here are some further sessions to help mentors not only provide reflective and developmental space for their mentees, but also to equip them with more ideas, tools and techniques relevant to current circumstances. Mentors are then able to respond with a more focused, relevant and helpful approach to their mentee’s needs.
Let’s recap — what does BANI mean?
The BANI framework (Facing the Age of Chaos) reflects the challenges of our world today:
- Brittle: Systems and organisations that seemed strong can suddenly fail under pressure.
- Anxious: Uncertainty and insecurity creates anxiety, affecting decision-making and morale.
- Nonlinear: Outcomes are not always proportional to inputs; small changes can have significant impact.
- Incomprehensible: Events may be difficult to understand or predict, leading to confusion and frustration.
This season further explores mentoring in a BANI context. It aims to provide mentors with more concepts and models to support their mentees, as well as others around them! Join us for these six 30-minute CPD webinars to learn more and to discuss and share strategies for mentor development:
All webinars start 12:00 (UK time) and last for approximately 30 minutes — there will be an element of interactivity. Do get in contact to chat beforehand, or stay on a webinar afterwards for an individual conversation!
Mentoring to understand transition in a BANI context – ‘Letting go’
This session will anchor a mentor’s thinking in considering what transition is and will be a great focus to support initial conversations with their mentees in a BANI environment.
Most change is a transition of some type. In fact, mentoring has been defined as: “off-line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking” (David Megginson and David Clutterbuck).
I believe in this BANI world; mentees are making more rapid transitions in many areas of their lives. In this session we will consider the Bridges’ Model of Transition to equip mentors with a framework to support conversations with their mentees about some of the turbulence they are currently encountering. We will concentrate on the ‘Letting go’ stage of the model in this session, focussing particularly on grief and how to reduce some of the anxiety which comes with sudden change and transition.
Tuesday 29th April 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Mentoring to understand transition in a BANI context – ‘The Neutral Zone’
The neutral zone is the very core of the whole transition process. Mentors are critical in supporting their mentees to go through this in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational.
Mentees may be creating new identities, processes or perhaps developing what their new roles will be. This is the uncertain time between the old reality and the new one. Mentees may feel in flux and confused and upset. However, the neutral zone is where new beginnings start.
The session will provide mentors with ideas and concepts to introduce to their mentee to support them through this neutral zone.
Monday 19th May 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Mentoring to understand transition in a BANI context – ‘New Beginnings’
This final stage of the Bridges’ Model of Transition may involve finding new purpose, values and attitudes in life and work. This stage is energising and renewing for individuals, but it can be further enhanced by the professional support of a mentor to be a truly effective experience for the mentee.
This webinar will provide mentors with tools and concepts to use with their mentee to create new beginnings and will also explore the concepts of hope and courage to discuss with your mentee.
Thursday 5th June 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Mentoring to encourage reflectivity in your mentee
In the craziness around us, many of us are keen not to think too much, or we can get into negative spirals of rumination. However, there is an art to healthy reflection and this is an area in which you can be a real role model and guide to your mentee.
In this webinar we will explore why reflection is so key in a BANI world, what to focus reflection on and ideas to improve our own and our mentee’s reflective processes.
Tuesday 17th June 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Mentoring to encourage self-care
How many of us feel exhausted and our energy levels are depleted? Who is taking care of us? Generally, no one and if your mentee is not tuned into self-care and is showing up for everyone else in their lives it can be an issue. This can be happening at work and home and it is not just women who are carrying the emotional load for others.
In this webinar, we will explore how mentors can gently explore how mentee’s self-care needs are being met or not and how dissatisfied or cut off from nourishment they might be.
We consider ideas such as building self-awareness, understanding and the acceptance of reality and creating healthy, sustainable, replenishing habits to provide your mentee with a more enduring and authentic pattern of self-care.
Tuesday 1st July 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Mentoring to support retirement (whatever that means)
Maybe this webinar isn’t a BANI world topic. However, I felt that retirement is a major life transition and the uncertainty of the current world is having an enormous impact on some people’s working lives and the length of them. No longer are we assured of job and economic security as we grow older.
This topic will be of interest to anyone mentoring those who are considering retirement or changes in life or some form of detachment from full time working. We will explore how retirement is actually a journey rather than a destination!
Tuesday 15th July 2025 @ 12:00 (UK)
Lis Merrick
Come and join us at these mentor CPD webinars to learn, discuss and share strategies for mentoring in a BANI world!
So, an eclectic choice of topics for crazy times. However, I hope that they raise interest and curiosity around how they may support your mentoring practice. I believe that mentoring conversations can deliver focussed support in these uncertain times and look forward to meeting with you to consider this further.
Your space for learning and sharing
We continue to enjoy our lunch-time mentor Continuous Professional Development webinars, so sign up to our newsletter to keep informed of what’s coming next. Perhaps leave a comment below to suggest a topic you’d like to see discussed in autumn 2025!
Come, join in and learn…
