Tristate Mentorship Match

Your development depends on exploring career aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, collaborating on means to “get there,” implementing strategies, and evaluating along the way. Your mentor will provide the “light” for you to follow. Learning from the wisdom and past experiences of your mentor will serve you well and produce great benefits.

Here are a few roles and responsibilities to help you in the process:

• Commit to your development
• Assume responsibility for acquiring or improving skills and knowledge
• Discuss your goals with your mentor
• Be open and honest on your goals, expectations, challenges, and concerns
• Actively listen and question
• Build a supportive and trusting environment
• Seek advice, opinion, feedback, and direction from your mentor
• Ask questions!
• Be open to constructive criticism/feedback and ask for it
• Come to your meetings prepared with a clear idea of what topics or issues you want to address
• Take the lead on scheduling meetings
• Respect your mentor’s time and resources
• Apply what you learn from your meetings back on the job
• Keep your supervisor informed of the process and your progress
• Give feedback to your mentor on what is working or not working in the mentoring relationship

The development of your mentee depends on exploring career aspirations, strengths and weaknesses, collaborating on means to “get there,” implementing strategies, and evaluating along the way. You as the mentor provide the “light” for the mentee to follow. Sharing your wisdom and past experiences is what the mentee looks for from you.

Here are a few roles and responsibilities to help you in the process:

• Support the mentee’s development of professional and interpersonal competencies through strategic questioning, goal setting, and planning
• Create a supportive and trusting environment
• Agree to and schedule uninterrupted time with your mentee
• Stay accessible, committed, and engaged during the length of the program
• Actively listen and question
• Give feedback to the mentee on his/her goals, situations, plans, and ideas
• Encourage your mentee by giving them genuine positive reinforcement
• Serve as a positive role model
• Provide frank (and kind) corrective feedback if necessary
• Openly and honestly share “lessons learned” from your own experience
• Keep discussions on track
• Respect your mentee’s time and resources
• Seek assistance if questions arise that you cannot answer