Mentoring

Finding the Right Mentor

The key to starting mentoring is finding the right mentor. This guide explains in practical steps how to achieve this and what to consider when you’re looking for a mentor.

Reflective Practice Guide

Reflection is a key element in our learning process and a useful tool in mentoring. If you’re looking to learn more about reflective practices, this guide offers you practical ideas for doing this.

Getting started

Things to consider for your first mentor meeting:

• Outline what you both hope to get out of mentoring
• Talk through both of your career journeys including highlights and lowlights and what you both enjoy and dislike
• Agree how often you want to meet, for how long and where
• Exchange contact details and agree on preferred communication method in between mentor meetings
• Agree ground rules, personal boundaries and how you will both ensure confidentiality

Tip: Start with the past

The first step is to understand people’s motivations and values, the things that drive them. It’s amazing what you can learn from a person’s life story.

Building the relationship

Check in

• What has happened since you last met that you are proud of?
• What have you found challenging?

Talk about the future

• What do you want the pinnacle of your career to look like? / How would your life at its best feel?
• Encourage the mentee to come up with 3 – 5 different dreams for the future.
• What skills do you need to focus on developing?
• How can you do this in your current role?
• How are your dreams aligned with your values?

Concluding the relationship

Ask yourself...

• What do I need to learn in order to move in the direction of my dreams?
• How should I prioritise the things I need to learn?
• Who can I learn from?

Create a plan with your mentor on how you can move confidently forward, having clarified your values and dreams and how they align with your current situation.

At the outset, both the mentor and the mentee must be open and honest about how much time they are prepared to give and agree the frequency of meetings.

It may be useful to diary in time to meet every 4-6 weeks at the beginning of the relationship, after which timescales would be a flexible arrangement between the two parties.

On average, mentoring relationships tend to last around 6 to 12 months but some can last a number of years. There is no time limit, and if you are both benefitting from the mentoring relationship, then it can continue for as long as you both feel it is useful.

The Staff BAME Network Mentoring Programme pairs members of UoE staff that identify as BAME (including PhD students and those on temporary contracts) with other members of staff who identify as BAME to support their experiences with racism, discrimination, loneliness, and other challenges particular to being Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic at the University of Edinburgh.

Vision: Our vision is to identify and help alleviate some of the barriers to entry and success the University of Edinburgh, for example the known BAME pay gap, attrition at higher levels, and delays on the path to promotion.

If you are interested in participating in the programme, please email Lauren Hall-Lew (Lauren.Hall-Lew@ed.ac.uk), Staff BAME Network Mentoring Programme Coordinator.

Mentoring conversations are completely confidential and can cover a broad range of topics. Some examples include:

• exploring career options
• planning for promotion
• discipline-specific issues
• balancing a research career with a family
• understanding the University structure and culture

To get the most out of mentoring, you need to be clear on what you want to gain from it. This also makes it easier to identify potential mentors who may be able to help.

Things to consider include:

• What do you need from a mentor?
• What would be a good outcome from mentoring?
• What timescales would you like to achieve this within?

Previous mentees found the mentoring partnership to be valuable and enjoyable, and described the positive impact of talking about career issues with someone independent.

Other benefits include:

• Help with specific research skills
• Ideas for managing work loads
• Identification of training opportunities
• Overcoming feelings of isolation
• Help with networking
• Increased motivation
• Support, encouragement and increased confidence
• Help with setting and achieving goals

To achieve this you must come to each session ready to:

• Work towards achieving your goals or objectives.
• Receive, accept and action feedback.
• Be questioned, challenged and encouraged.
• Listen actively to what your mentor is saying.
• Be honest with your mentor and yourself (e.g. about your strengths and weaknesses).
• Agree realistic actions.
• Think carefully about how you can apply learning outcomes from the sessions back on the job.
• Discuss the outcomes of the actions from the previous session. Making notes of any progress made, as well as problems or issues that you would like to discuss further.
• Provide feedback to the mentor on how useful you are finding the sessions.

Mentoring is not designed to help staff gain promotions, and your mentor is not there to act as a ‘sponsor’ for you.

Through conversations with your mentor, you may discuss your feelings, emotions and how things impact you. However, it is important to remember that they are not there to provide counselling or emotional support on personal issues. Should you need extra support with your mental and emotional health, please speak with your line manager or refer to the dedicated Staff Wellbeing Hub.

There should always be a clear distinction between the role of your mentor and your line manager. Your mentor is not there to take on any of the responsibilities of your line manager.

In addition to helping colleagues, being a mentor can help you to develop your communication and interpersonal skills and allow you the opportunity to reflect on your own practice. Mentors have noted the following benefits:

• professional benefits of linking to another research team / school / department
• satisfaction from helping another person grow and develop
• the opportunity to review own practice
• exposure to new ideas
• increased self-awareness
• development of interpersonal and communication skills
• reflection on own career path
• stimulation and motivation
• enhances CV

A mentor can fulfil many roles. You might find that you take on specific roles at different times according to the needs of the person you are mentoring. Here are some mentor roles for you to consider:

Listener - a supportive ear, offering your mentee observations and reflective questions

Guide - showing your mentee how the University and different systems and networks function

Sounding board - acting independently, allowing your mentee to bounce new ideas and suggestions off you, without any judgement

Role model - sharing your knowledge and experience freely so your mentee can learn from you

Challenger - use your objectivity to challenge your mentee’s assumptions and help them see the bigger picture

Mentors do not need to have any particular qualifications, rather the key skills required are:

• listening and questioning
• challenging your mentee to consider their learning and what they’re going to do with it
• guidance and advice on the sector and career progression
• being a positive role model
• being curious and encouraging your mentee to be curious
• encouragement and to facilitate networking and building supportive connections
• challenging negative/limiting beliefs

• Mentors bring their own personal and professional experience, knowledge and skills to provide valuable input into the mentee’s personal development objectives/goals.
• Support to the mentee as they identify the next steps or actions to achieve their goals/ objectives.
• Responding to questions or offering your own learning experiences to help the mentee understand the potential outcomes which can result from actions or decisions made.
• Honest and non- biased feedback to the individual mentee on their performance.
• Reviewing the progress made towards achieving the objectives which were first set at the start of the mentoring relationship.

There are many ways you can get more involved in mentoring:  

• Tap into your existing network and look for opportunities to mentor others; this could involve mentoring peers who would like to learn more from you in particular area of knowledge or specialism
• Volunteer to mentor interns or Modern Apprentices who join your team or department
• Support new starters by helping them to navigate the University
• Explore external opportunities to mentor, for example through your professional subject area/subscription body (e.g. CIPD)
• Let your manager/director/DoPS/HoS know that you’re interested in mentoring others and be clear about what areas you think you could help someone with
• Volunteer to mentor participants of the Aurora women’s leadership programme.

Watch one of our videos

These audio videos are particularly relevant for individuals just starting a new mentoring partnership. Additional videos on other topics are also available.

What does success look like for mentors and mentees?

If success is achieving what you value, then what does this mean for mentoring? This video answers the question “what does a successful mentoring partnership look like?” and helps both mentors and mentees to think about their goals for this experience.

Listening Skills for Mentors and Mentees

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  This video considers how you (mentors and mentees) can be ready and able to listen most effectively in your mentoring conversations.