Mentorship is a relational process in which a mentor — who knows how to do something well — imparts their skills to a mentee (or protégé) who desires to learn them. Be it a coach, a counselor, a guide, a leader, a pilot, a teacher, or a tutor, a mentor is a positive, guiding influence in his or her mentee’s life and career.
Effective coaches empower not by hand-holding but by sharing resources that allow the mentee to face real challenges. A mentorship can be a short-term or long-term partnership, and it can be formal or informal. In any case, a successful mentorship can leave a positive lasting impact on both the mentor and the mentee.
Here are six guidelines to keep in mind to ensure a successful mentorship.
Understand Your Mentee
In your first meeting together, ask the participant to share his or her developmental needs. What does he or she hope to gain from this experience with you? Ask the mentee to share their own evaluation of professional strengths and weaknesses, prior assessment insights, and future aspirations.
Effective mentorships begin with careful assessment early in the process, and understanding your mentee’s goals and intentions can help you tailor your guidance to best suit his or her needs.
Be Accessible
You and your mentee need to dedicate time to interact. First and foremost, determine the best approach to meetings: in person, by telephone, or via video conference. A specific daily or weekly meeting is a great way to touch base and ensure your mentee is getting the most out of the mentorship, but you should also try to be accessible outside your meetings.
Perhaps your mentee works best at night, but you work traditional nine-to-five hours. Have them email any questions to you, and try to respond in the first few hours of your day. Accessibility works both ways, so figure out how both of you can get the most out of your mentorship.
Be a Coach
Let your mentee have the benefit of your experience, knowledge, insight, perspective, and resources. An authentic leader is open and honest about their successes and failures and highlights the importance of growth and intentional goal setting.
Effective mentorship involves providing feedback, offering observations, and giving suggestions. Be willing when necessary to say the tough things that will help your mentee grow, but also celebrate their wins and praise their efforts.
Define a Specific Purpose
Jointly agree on the purpose of the mentoring relationship. By spelling out your and your mentee’s needs and expectations, you can avoid unfulfilled expectations and disappointments.
Perhaps your mentee has more than one goal with the mentorship. It’s helpful to develop an action plan that highlights exactly what he or she hopes to get out of the mentorship, along with steps to get there, and review it regularly.
Model Accountability
Ultimately, the mentee is responsible for taking specific action steps. Establish together how accountability will be set up and monitored. Will you use written reports, phone calls, or other feedback?
As a leader, demonstrating accountability toward yourself can help foster mutual accountability among your team. A leader who can hold himself or herself accountable — and accept feedback from his or her employees — gains the team’s trust and sets the tone for the workplace as a whole.
Define Duration
Time limits keep the relationship fresh and allow for more effective review and evaluation. Decide whether this will be a short-term mentorship or a long-term one, and work toward closure to bring a sense of achievement.
Young professionals don’t learn everything they need in school — they require the advice and counsel of seasoned professionals who have demonstrated effectiveness. Leaders need to move beyond expertise to serve others and in doing so will receive much more than they give. Successful organizations encourage and reward this kind of give and take.
As a leader, how do you ensure a positive mentorship experience for your mentees? Let me know in the comments!