The friction patterns we see most often in the four weeks before kickoff, with the moves that resolve them. Use this as a reference when something feels stuck.
The signal: A manager pings you (or HR) questioning a participant choice, or hints that the selection feels unfair.
What to do. Lean on your eligibility criteria. "Here's the framework we used: [criteria]. We can add Y to the waitlist and rotate them in if a seat opens." Resist expanding the cohort mid-launch, it dilutes the program and creates precedent for next time.
Why it works. Most pushback is really "I didn't have visibility into this." Naming the criteria converts the conversation from political to operational.
Deeper resource: Manager Alignment in Coaching Programs
The signal: It's two weeks to kickoff and you still don't have a confirmed list. Managers are slow to respond or keep adding caveats.
What to do. Switch from open ended to forced choice. Instead of "Who on your team should be in this program?", ask "Of these three people on your team, who would benefit most right now?" Set a hard deadline (48 hours) and tell managers what happens if they don't respond (you'll choose for them).
Why it works. Open ended asks invite endless deliberation. Forced choice plus a deadline compresses the decision into something a manager can answer between meetings.
Deeper resource: Participant Nomination Playbook
The signal: A member was invited 25+ days ago and still hasn't signed up.
What to do. Day 25, send a personal nudge from you (not Mento). Day 28, loop in their manager: "We're holding [member]'s seat until [date]. If they're not going to use it, we'd like to rotate it to your waitlist candidate." Day 30, rotate or release.
Why it works. The seat hold is real. Members and managers respond to it once they understand it. The waitlist conversation is the forcing function.
The signal: An executive participant has an EA managing their calendar, and the EA isn't sure how to handle chemistry calls or recurring sessions.
What to do. Loop the EA in directly. Mento sends them a dedicated scheduling guide and a custom calendar link. The executive still signs up at app.mento.co/get-started themselves so the account is tied to them. The EA handles logistics.
Why it works. Most EAs are great at this once they have the right link. The breakdown happens when they're treated as an afterthought.