Mentoring Principles

When companies have formal mentoring programs, they may have established procedures for how mentors and mentees are matched, and how each conducts themselves during the mentoring relationship. However, when no formal program exists, it’s up to the mentor and mentee to figure out how they will work together. We’d like to share some of the elements of successful mentorship that has guided us in the past:

• Connection - Fundamentally, the most important thing is that the mentor and mentee want to work together in mentorship. The relationship must be based on mutual trust and respect. 
• Intentional - At the core of mentorship is a focus on understanding and supporting the  mentee’s career and/or developmental goals. It’s important for the mentee to be able to articulate their goals to their mentor and for the mentor to be confident in their ability to appropriately guide their mentee.
• Active - The mentor actively provides advice and guidance to the mentee, sharing anecdotes from their own experiences and providing crucial feedback. The mentee receives feedback and takes responsibility for implementing the lessons learned from the mentor.
• Clear - Both the mentor and the mentee must be clear that they are establishing a mentoring relationship and should set appropriate expectations to avoid disappointment. Whether you and your mentor or mentee create a written agreement is entirely dependent on your particular circumstance. For some, this level of clarity is important. For others, it is excessive formality.
• Limited - Mentoring relationships can be fairly long-term, ranging from many months to years. It’s often useful to create an understanding of when the mentoring relationship will end. This can be based on a specific lapsed time, or better yet, the achievement of certain goals. The mentoring relationship is successful if the mentee advances enough to no longer need the support of the mentor.