A Guide to Mentor Mentee Relationships
Mentorship happens at all different levels. Sometimes, people are willing to shell out the cash for a professional career coach, while other times people may be able to identify a co-worker or close acquaintance willing to provide them with guidance and insight (free of charge) to help them progress their growth and development in meaningful ways! And some other people may turn to alternate forms of mentorship and coaching, perhaps through books, podcasts, and other media platforms. But what’s the one thing they all have in common? They’re looking to improve!
Let’s take a closer look at the mentor mentee relationship. Mentors tend to be seasoned, experienced, and have a lot of valuable ‘learnings’ that can be passed on to others — a kind of “I learned the hard way, so let me give you some good advice.” Most likely, a mentor has seen significant challenges and also moments of great success. In many cases, mentors are able to ‘pay it forward’ by helping to shape the next great wave of up-and-coming designers (in our case) as they embark on their career journey.
Mentees, on the other hand, are often looking for growth opportunities. Perhaps they are new to their field and looking for some general guidance. Or maybe they have been in the field for several years and are looking for some coaching as they transition into taking on more responsibility or leadership. Bottom line, a mentee wants to learn and be able to apply this knowledge to their day-to-day practice!
So what makes a good match when considering a mentor mentee relationship? Here are a few tips to making the most of your journey!
Background & Goal Setting
It’s certainly a good start to understand the background and anticipated goals when considering entering into a relationship with a mentor or mentee. As a mentor, you might want to consider whether you see your background adding value to delivering on the mentee’s goals. If not, it’s 100% ok to suggest seeking out mentorship elsewhere.
Agreements
Ok, so you determined that your background and goals are a good fit, so what’s next? It’s always a good idea to level set on expectations within a mentor mentee relationship. What does the time commitment look like? Is there a start date and an end date? What does success look like? Agreements are always helpful as a simple reminder to keep you on task and ensure that you are not over-committing (or under-committing) in the relationship. When necessary, revisit your agreements to ensure the relationship remains healthy and effective.
Productivity
Now that you’ve figured out your agreements, it’s time to put the relationship to the test! Leverage your time together in meaningful ways — do you prefer structure or less structure? Who is managing the calendar and the agenda? Are these sessions conversation-based or activity-based? Certainly a mentor mentee relationship will take some tweaking over time, as you both learn which communication style and learning methods work the very best! As in any relationship, providing open and honest feedback is critical — if something isn’t working, just say so! You can always pivot to a new way of working, and speaking up early will save you time in the long run!
We’d love to hear from some of our Steel City UXL members who have been mentors or mentees in the past. What’s your story? Did you find it helpful?