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Mentor & Mentee Roles and Responsibilities

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