Time is precious for both mentor and mentee.
Here are some tips to ensure you’re primed for a productive and rewarding mentoring session.
Be clear about what you need help with
For efficiency, think through what you’d like to talk to your mentor about in advance. You could even email them a summary before your meeting, just as an FYI or to give them the opportunity to prepare.
This will also help to minimise the time you spend venting about office politics or losing your narrative thread to anxieties about the problem you hope to resolve.
Manage your expectations
The purpose of a mentor is to soundboard your work-related concerns to an experienced (and often impartial) ear. They’re not providing professional supervision.
Be open to advice from a different perspective that challenges the way you might typically do things. Think tough love.
Aim high, but not necessarily for the top
You don’t need to set your eyes on the most senior person in a company for your mentor (unless of course, your role is almost hitting the hierarchy ceiling). Someone further down the ladder may actually have more time to dedicate to mentoring.
Let chemistry be your guide
You will get the most out of your mentor relationship if you feel open and comfortable talking to them. They should:
● Be good listeners and communicators
● Be empathetic
● Have a realistic but overall positive outlook.
Yes, your mentor can challenge you, but there should always be mutual respect for the advice being given and whether or not you choose to implement it.
Be proactive
Every mentoring relationship is different. You might prefer to work to a structure of goal-setting and have regular check-ins. Or, you might only schedule a meeting when you’re feeling overwhelmed and have a specific issue to talk through. Either way, don’t expect your mentor to be the driver — they probably have busy work lives too!
Ideally, each session should end with some clear actions for you. If you don’t do your homework, you risk your next session covering the trodden ground.
Be honest with each other. If it isn’t working, there’s no shame in calling it a day. You might like to go it alone for a while or try someone else.
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