Mentoring

Thoughts on Mentoring

What is a mentor?

Mentor (from Oxford English Dictionary) Simple uses.

• 1. a. Originally (in form Mentor): a person who acts as guide and adviser to another person, esp. one who is younger and less experienced. Later, more generally: a person who offers support and guidance to another; an experienced and trusted counsellor or friend; a patron, a sponsor.
• b. orig. and chiefly U.S. spec. An experienced person in a company, college, etc., who trains and counsels new employees or students.

• 2. Something which fulfils the role of an adviser or guide (often personified).

Being a Mentor and Being Mentored

• Am I ready to be a mentor?
  • Do you have wisdom that you can impart on others?
  • Do you have the desire to help people less experienced in certain areas than your self?

• When do I get to the point that I no longer need a mentor?
  • Never. There will always be people who can help guide you

• What do I need to convey?
  • Caring, thoughtfulness, respect, empathy, experience, humility

Thoughts on Being An Effective Mentor

• Don’t over estimate or under estimate your knowledge
• Connect to the person - being willing to share your mistakes
• Treat people with respect
• Understand that it is not your responsibility to solve people’s problem, but rather to help them solve their problems
• Empathize, but stay objective and keep some distance
• Try to keep the persons long term interests in mind. - Sometimes the easy path (most straightforward advice) is not the best advice
• Be aware of privacy issues - Listen, but take care not to pry into personal matters unless you know the person very well--even then proceed carefully

Getting Started as a Mentor

Starting your relationship

Your mentee should contact you to set-up an initial meeting, since much of the relationship requires them to be proactive. During the first meeting it is important for you and your mentee to discuss and define expectations and goals for the relationship. To help you with this each of the sections below are items that should be discussed during your first meeting.

Communication & Support: A crucial part of the relationship will be based on communication. You have been matched with a mentee who has the same time commitment preference you noted in your mentor application. However, it will be beneficial to define how you want to communicate with your mentee.

• Define how and how often you want to communicate: In your mentor application you outlined what the best methods of communication are for you; you should discuss this with your mentee and make sure you both agree on the best method or methods of communication.

• Defining support: Do you prefer a highly structured relationship where you have a set time to speak with your mentee or do you want a more informal relationship, where your mentee can just stop by or send an e-mail with questions?

Goals: In order to be able to benefit from the relationship as much as possible, it will be helpful for your mentee to define goals. We have advised them to start with the criteria he/she selected on the mentee application. However, as a mentor this is an area where you can truly help guide your mentee. Below are some suggestions we provided for mentees on how to set their goals that will be a good starting point for developing your relationship.

• Defining a primary goal: Mentees should have a primary goal to discuss throughout the relationship. For example, it can be learning/preparing for a job in a specific field (industry/academics) and/or completing his/her CV.

• Defining secondary goals: Mentees should also have other goals for the relationship. These are likely to be short term goals or questions they may have for discussion.

• Prioritizing: Many students struggle with how to prioritize their goals and time. This is an area where your experience can be very beneficial to your mentee.

What’s Expected of You?

As a mentor, you should provide open and honest support for your mentee. Below is a you are ways to help build your relationship with your mentee in a positive manner:

• Openly communicate with your mentee
• Keep commitments and be timely
• Share your experiences
• Work to make discussion positive
• Provide constructive criticism
• Encourage questions

Confidentiality

We have explained to your mentee that an important part of being in the scientific community is understanding the confidential nature of scientific work and relationships. As you may have things confidential in nature, so may your mentee and we ask you to respect this part of the relationship.

What to do if you feel the match isn’t right for you?

As a part of the matching process, we try to fit you with a mentee that is best suited to the criteria you selected. However, you may find that after discussion with your mentee he/she may not be the best fit for you.