The Mentoring Relationship
To develop a successful mentoring relationships:
- Design the Alliance. Both parties must have an agreement on the contact and response times, meetings, confidentiality, focus, feedback, and goals and accountability.
- Get to Know Each Other. It is important to have a strong relationship and trust before focusing on the problem.
- Set the Agenda. Be clear on the purpose and goals of the program.
- Reflect and Evaluate. Know if there is a progress or development gained from the mentoring every few meetings.
- Closeout. Before parting ways, have a closure with each other. Reflect and appreciate what both parties have learned and gained from the experience.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
- Sincere and have the desire to develop and help others even without any price.
- Prepared to commit time and energy to the mentoring relationship.
- Have the relevant knowledge, expertise, or skills needed by the mentee.
- Have the will to share his experiences, event the bad ones.
- With a growth mindset and learning attitude.
- Possesses the skills to help develop others.
- He's committed to expanding capabilities and focused on achieving professional results.
- Clear about their career goals, needs, and wants.
- Willing to ask for help.
- Able to seek and accept positive or negative feedback.
- Personally responsible and accountable.
- Ready, willing, and able to meet on a regular basis.
RELATED IDEAS
A mentor..
- Takes a long-range view of your growth and development.
- Helps you see the destination but does not give you the detailed map to get there.
- Offers encouragement and cheerleading, but not "how to" advice.
A mentor does not..
- Serve as a coach as explained above.
- Function as an advocate of yours in the organizational environment such as your boss would; the relationship is more informal.
- Tell you how to do things.
- Support you on transactional, short-term problems.
- Serve as a counselor or therapist.
- Valuing the most precious resource being provided by the mentor: Time.
- Being clear about one’s expectations and objectives, so that the most suitable and effective guidance is provided.
- Being open to input, advice, criticism and feedback, ready to hear things you wouldn’t normally want to hear.
- Expressing Gratitude.
- Self-assessing yourself as a good mentee, committing to the partnership.
- Expecting the unexpected, and learning from it.
If you decide on becoming a mentor, you might want to consider choosing a mentee who shares your interests. It will make everyone's life easier. Moreover, you will also be able to provide more useful pieces of information, that is to say, to fulfill your duty as mentor.