Taking a break from out TBT column this week, it is good to keep in mind that understanding your roles and responsibilities within the mentor/mentee relationship will better enable you to reach all of your desired goals.
These four phases can help!
Phase 1: Identifying Roles
- Have a clear understanding of why you want to be a mentor.
- Mentor with a realistic assessment of your skills and experience
Phase 2: Communicating Expectations
- Have a clear understanding of your expectations for your mentee
- Clearly communicate those expectations
- Stay flexible in changing expectations or plans
- Create goals with milestones and deliverables
- Adapt your feedback to your mentee’s learning style
- Be realistic about setting timelines
Phase 3: Working Together
- Advise, don’t dictate
- Advise on what you know and admit the things you don’t know
- Give good examples
- Recognize your mentee’s weaknesses and build on his/her strengths
- Offer constructive feedback
- Evaluate progress
- Be your mentee’s supporter when he/she reaches his/her goals
- Be consistent and reliable
Phase 4: Meeting All the Goals
- After mentoring is completed, follow up on successes
- Provide an evaluation of the experience
- Repeat the mentoring process with others
