Making the most of your mentor A guide for mentees – Hints and tips
st ip o m nsh n d r i o ma mily i h t t a e l rel hu e fa ) h t s It i werfu encingfter th nships po influ ur (a latio for havio ple re . be d cou rking an is wo ruso PhD if it ard E. Ca h Ric
3
1 Welcome to the Amos Bursary mentoring programme As part of the programme you will be allocated a peer mentor and a professional mentor, two individuals who will be supporting you for the next four years. As a mentee this is your opportunity to explore your potential, make valuable contacts and enhance opportunities for your career advancement. Do not be reluctant to ask for help or expose a weakness. Set targets and deadlines for yourself and make a genuine effort to keep them. Do appreciate the investment in you being made by others and expect support, but not miracles. You will be building a new relationship so it is important to communicate clearly and correct any misunderstandings on the way by discussing concerns before they become problems. Use this opportunity to derive maximum benefit from your mentor-mentee relationship. If you establish trust with your mentors they will introduce alternatives, keep you motivated and encourage you to use your initiative. They will give you support but be prepared for challenge. Finally to be involved in a mentoring relationship is a privilege for both participants, and as a result it is important to be gracious and thoughtful towards each other. When unclear about what to do or how to act, ask your mentor. The gesture of asking conveys respect for what the two of you are working to accomplish. You have the opportunity of a life time to work with two people who are committed to your personal development. Enjoy the journey, have fun and good luck. Colleen Amos Director, Amos Bursary
4
2 Making the most of your Mentor
A mentor can guide you, take you under his or her wing, and teach you new skills. Research has shown that mentoring relationships succeed and are satisfying for both parties when both the mentor and mentee take an active role in developing the relationship. Figure 1 Building relationships
Mutual expectations and goals Measuring progress and success
Confidentially
Relationship a highpriority
Structure frequency
Communication styles
Meeting
A guide for mentees – Hints and tips 5
Figure 2 Personal development
Personal development
Professional development
Career advancement and enjoyment
Dynamic
Collaborative reciprocal
Two way street
A good mentor… >> Is available and accessible >> Recognises a mentee’s potential >> Inspires a mentee to take appropriate risks and grow >> Helps a mentee identify and overcome obstacles >> Provides timely, actionable feedback on mentee’s work >> Shares professional expertise >> Shares personal information, when appropriate >> Gives credit appropriately >> Is a good communicator >> Can let go when it is time to do so
6 Making the most of your mentor
A good mentee should… >> Have a positive attitude and is responsive and available >> Be straightforward, bring up issues and let your mentor know what you need >> Ask, accept & use feedback to improve performance >> Directly ask how success will be judged >> Strive to understand yourself and your mentor >> Be eager to learn >> Have the ability and willingness to work as a team player >> Demonstrate patience >> Have knowledge of your personal strengths, weaknesses and goals >> Be well organised >> Be open to, and listen to mentor’s ideas and suggestions >> Follow through on agreed-upon actions >> Take initiative appropriately >> Be respectful of mentor’s time >> Appreciate the mentor’s effort and lets him/her know >> Set your own goal schedule and stick to it
Meeting your mentor… >> Set a regular schedule of contacts >> Agree frequency, length of meetings >> Email and phone in addition to meetings? >> Be flexible about limited mentor schedule changes >> Ask directly about mentor’s preferred style >> Detailed facts/figures vs. overview >> Send in advance of the meeting or not?
A guide for mentees – Hints and tips 7
At the initial meeting… >> Come prepared – have an agenda >> Clearly say what you are looking for >> What do you need? What do you value? >> Share backgrounds >> People love to talk about themselves >> Have a specific small ‘ask’ >> Feedback on a specific idea
After the initial meeting… >> Follow up with an email >> List specific action steps >> Give positive feedback about how helpful >> Ask permission for more help later >> Be accountable: follow up and stay engaged
Communicating with your mentor… >> Set the agenda for meetings >> Explain your progress and any obstacles >> Encourage feedback on progress >> Know what is expected of you and do it on time >> If/when you disagree, do so respectfully >> Explain your position, ideas >> Avoid defensiveness
Expectations and Assessment… >> Directly ask how success will be judged >> What can you offer to the mentor? >> ‘How can I help you?’ >> Ask for feedback periodically >> ‘How do you think things are going?’
8 Making the most of your mentor
When things do not go well... >> Most common complaints >> Mentee did not follow through >> Mentee did not use mentor’s time effectively >> Poor fit with work style and/or personality If the relationship is not working let your mentor co-ordinator know.
Finally… Mentoring is a partnership between two individuals, the mentor and the mentee. As The mentee you decide upon the amount of help and guidance you need. You should take the initiative to ask for help or advice to tackle challenging situations. As the mentee you need to absorb the mentor’s knowledge and have the ambition and desire to know what to do with this knowledge. As a mentee, you need to practice and demonstrate what has been learned. You are the ‘gauge’ to measure how interactive the connection between your mentor and you will be. This means that you as the mentee determines the capacity of the mentoring connection.
9
3 What sort of person am I?
Self questionnaire: Being aware of your good and bad points is the first step towards understanding yourself and other people. Self-awareness allows you to become more personally effective. Complete the following questionnaire, being as honest as you can!
My good points are:
My bad points are:
My worst characteristics are:
What I would like to change about myself:
Why I would like to make the above changes:
10 Making the most of your mentor
My future What do you want to do with your life? What are your ambitions? Make a list of 20 things that you want to do in the next few years. They could be simple ideas such as learning to drive a car, or they could be ambitious plans such as canoeing up the Amazon River! What ambitions do you have? 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
A guide for mentees – Hints and tips 11
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
12 Making the most of your mentor
Personal action plan Personal goal
How will your goal be achieved.
Who will help to reach this goal.
How will I gain build or develop the skills required.
What resources (time and materials required)
What evidence will indicate completion.
A guide for mentees – Hints and tips 13
Personal action plan Personal goal
How will your goal be achieved.
Who will help to reach this goal.
How will I gain build or develop the skills required.
What resources (time and materials required)
What evidence will indicate completion.
14 Making the most of your mentor
Personal action plan Personal goal
How will your goal be achieved.
Who will help to reach this goal.
How will I gain build or develop the skills required.
What resources (time and materials required)
What evidence will indicate completion.
A guide for mentees – Hints and tips 15
Contacts Yane Amos, Student coordinator yaneamos@amosbursary.org.uk, yaneuk@yahoo.com Pamela Clarke, Professional Mentor coordinator pamelaclarke@amosbursary.org.uk Steve Brooks, Mentor Development and accreditation sbrooksaui@yahoo.co.uk
Designed by Joel Quartey Tel: 07504 117234