Cultivating a Mentoring Relationship
Watch the video below, to gain some insight on how to begin a mentoring relationship.
Five guidelines to help mentors and mentees express their expectations:
In the previous video, Shawn, Lisa, and Allison all talk about the importance of setting expectations and finding common ground when beginning a new mentoring relationship. Masters and Kreeger (2017) developed five guidelines to help mentors and mentees express their expectations. You can review these guidelines by clicking tab in the accordian below.
Whether you write out your expectations by hand, type them up, or come up with another creative way to record what you have discussed, having some form of documentation will help everyone remember what was decided on. You can also refer back to these recorded expectations throughout the relationship.
It is important to acknowledge that this document is not just of the expectations that a mentor has of a mentee. Including what a mentee can expect of you is just as important to establishing an effective relationship.
Considering the individual experiences and needs that each person brings to a relationship is very important. Existing templates can be a useful starting point. Using a template, you can work together with your mentee to create a unique document that captures both your needs. Some topics that you may want to discuss include:
- How will we communicate?
- What is the expected time commitment (e.g., to the project, relationship)?
- What are our expectations around vacations and time off?
- Where will the work take place (e.g., at home, in the lab, in an office)?
- How will we resolve potential conflicts? Will there be published work coming out of the relationship and, if so, what are our expectations around authorship?
It is important to recognize that there is often a power imbalance between the mentor and the mentee. With this in mind, consider setting boundaries while establishing expectations. For example, with communication, is it appropriate for students to contact you or for you to contact a student using a personal phone number? If so, when?
As Lisa suggests, consider scheduling regular check-ins with your mentees, where you can both reflect on whether your expectations are still appropriate. Once established, expectations can be modified, added, or removed as the relationship grows or projects change.