What (Really) Goes Into Mentorship That Works?

In this article, I talk a bit about mentorship; a topic I consider sensitive that a lot of people in tech take lightly or don't take seriously enough. People in tech especially beginners need guidance in the field they've chosen to get into and are in search of mentors but don't know what mentorship entails. The purpose of this article is to shed light on this topic and hopefully provide answers to existing questions you have about it.

What is mentorship?

Simply put, mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor.

Who is a mentor?

A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced person. Someone who helps you grow your skills, make better decisions, and gain new perspectives on your life and career. A mentor should be supportive of the needs and aspirations of the mentee, be respected in the community and profession, communicate openly and clearly, be comfortable providing constructive feedback, have a genuine interest in helping others succeed, and have a respectful, inspiring, and positive attitude.

Who is a mentee?

A mentee is a person who receives advice, training, or guidance from a more experienced or skilled mentor. A mentee should have a positive attitude, be eager and open to learning proactively, be patient, responsive, and respectful of the mentor’s role and time, be comfortable receiving objective feedback, and being stretched out of a comfort zone.

The purpose of mentorship

The purpose of mentoring is to grow by tapping into the knowledge and experience of someone further along than yourself. It's the best way to accelerate your development. By having someone who knows more than yourself share advice, offer guidance, and be a sounding board for your thoughts you stand to benefit from experiences beyond your own. Whether in your career or life, having a mentor is crucial to all of our continued growth and development.

Mentorship demands a good level of dedication and commitment on both the mentor and mentee's part for a mutually beneficial and successful relationship to be developed.

Your role as a mentee

As a mentee, you have to be a self-motivated individual, committed to your personal and professional growth. It is your responsibility to take ownership of your learning and development needs.

• You need to drive the relationship: You need to identify the skills, knowledge, and goals that you want to achieve and communicate them to your mentor.
• You need to develop plans: You'll work with your mentor to seek resources for learning by identifying people and information that might be helpful and align with your set goals.
• You need to also contribute: You should always look for opportunities to give back to your mentor(If an individual takes out time to offer you as much help as he/she can, you should be able to intentionally seek ways to help them out as often as you can).
• You should prepare to be a life-long learner: You should take full advantage of opportunities to learn at any given point in time. Become a sponge, soak up all knowledge at your disposal.

Your responsibilities as a mentee

• Prepare a list of your career goals and objectives to share with your mentor.
• Establish, with your mentor, your explicit goals and objectives for the relationship.
• Commit to meeting with your mentor on a regular basis. Establish how and when those meetings will take place. Tell your mentor how you prefer to get feedback.
• Complete progress reports and regularly re-assess needs.
• Be proactive in requesting feedback.
• Keep an accurate record of your development and progress.
• Read and listen to your mentor’s comments carefully and be open to different perspectives.

Your role as a mentor

• You need to guide: A guide is one that takes you through a journey, providing different pathways and warning of potential pitfalls. A mentor can offer a wise perspective and can encourage growth by asking the right questions, throwing out ideas, and keeping conversation and creativity moving. This advisory role also requires the mentor to help the mentee develop professional interests and set realistic career goals.
• You need to coach: A coach provides motivation and feedback. Positive feedback to reinforce behavior and constructive feedback to change behavior. Both types are critical to the professional growth of the mentee. Positive feedback is a great motivating tool for removing doubt and building self-esteem which results in a sense of accomplishment.
• You need to Advise: An advisor works with the mentee to develop a career development plan that outlines what knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to reach career goals.
• You need to counsel: The counselor role establishes a lasting and open relationship. Respect and confidentiality are baselines for this relationship. A mentor encourages the mentee to identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop problem-solving skills.
• You need to be an advocate: An advocate champions the ideas and interests of the mentee. Advocates act as a sponsor, creating opportunities that challenge and instruct the mentee, setting them up for success. The goal is to provide as much exposure and visibility for the mentee, with a minimum of risk. This role primarily involves initiating opportunities for development by helping establish a network of contacts, helpful resources, and a path to success.
• You need to be a role model: Teaching by example is a mentor’s most effective developmental tool.

Your responsibilities as a mentor

• Assist your mentee in identifying professional and personal growth goals and objectives.
• Assist your mentee in establishing explicit goals and objectives for the relationship.
• Commit to meeting with your mentee on a regular basis. Establish how and when those meetings will take place.
• Complete progress reports and regularly re-assess needs.

Closing

Do you currently have a mentor in your life who you look up to? Maybe you are giving back by serving as a mentor yourself. Mentorship is a great way to prioritize both your social and career improvement by building authentic and supportive relationships.

Having a mentor can also help you expand your network, navigate a new experience, boost your confidence, and potentially open up new opportunities. Mentorship can be formal or informal. Additionally, mentorship is mutually beneficial for both the mentor and the mentee. In other words, you both gain something from the mentoring relationship and you both make meaningful contributions.

If you don’t currently have a mentor, the first step is to fully understand what mentorship entails, then identify someone you'd like to build that relationship with, and then ask them!

I'm sitting here typing these closing sentences at 2am in the morning, so I really hope you've gained something from this article. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Engage, like, and share with your network.

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See you in the next post :-)

Your friend in progress,

CodeProphet.