Mentorship, like any relationship or team building, occurs in stages. Approaching the opening and closing of the mentorship with care ensures you and your mentee will share expectations, goals, and be able to debrief the experience with each other to continue to improve.
Framework curated by Meghann Coleman, Director at MindFrame Connect
What makes a good mentee? Talk to different people and you will quickly find that everyone has a different definition of what makes someone effective.
At MindFrame Connect, we’ve done extensive research on this – speaking to over 150 mentors and mentees – and it became clear that there is a recipe for success.
To begin, a mentee must be willing to learn and be prepared to own the relationship. Beyond these points, an effective mentee needs a combination of the following:
Respect
Recognizing the value of the mentor’s knowledge, experience, and background
Ability to use the mentor’s time and efforts effectively
Openness to learn about mentor’s personal background and acknowledge how they bring different perspectives from your own (i.e. age, race, gender, sexuality, region)
Ability to connect on a personal level
Ability to offer constructive and respectful feedback to mentor
Learn
Openness to learn from others
Ability to identify gaps and ask for help
Willingness to receive and accept constructive feedback and offer feedback to mentor in return
Ability to filter advice and analyze the best path forward
Ability to reflect critically before and after meeting
Lead
Ability to lead the relationship: set the agenda, establish purpose of meetings, come prepared, own the follow-up, ask good questions, set goals, and take notes
Commitment to following-through and being accountable
Willingness to challenge mentor
Confidence to walk away from mentors who are not a fit
Openness to new ideas and different perspectives
Grow
Ability to articulate plans for growth and inspire mentors to support your journey
Willingness to set ambitious goals
Ability to identify when additional mentors may be needed
Ability to recognize when it’s time to end mentoring relationship and acknowledge mentor for their contributions
Commitment to pay it forward to future mentees!
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