While reading about the role of mentors on various pages of this website, you may have thought to yourself, "Hey, I'm already a mentor. This is the type of relationship I have with _______ and _______."
It's not unusual for more-seasoned professionals to already have unconsciously or informally established mentoring relationships with less-seasoned colleagues. You may also have identified yourself as being a mentee in an existing relationship with a more experienced individual.
Jot down the names of individuals you believe you may already be mentoring. Ask yourself:
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you might want to consider having a conversation with the individual(s) you have in mind about mentoring relationships.
In many books and articles on the subject of mentoring, it is recommended that individuals not mentor those that report directly to them. When one is a supervisor, a relationship is already established that requires specific tasks and responsibilities; introducing another element to the supervisory relationship could be confusing.
A primary concern is that supervisors are responsible for the performance of the entire group, not just one individual. This requires that the welfare of the group come before the welfare of one person. Mentoring supervisees can create a conflict of interest, as well as give the appearance of favoring one employee over another.
Finally, for the mentee's sake, having a mentor away from the day-to-day work environment helps to provide a "safe" sounding board and someone with an objective perspective on events.
Unless there is a formal mentoring program in your unit or department, a mentee typically seeks out a mentor; however, if you are interested in sharing your experience with someone and being mentor, talk with your colleagues to see if they know of someone who could benefit from a mentoring relationship. Another idea is to attend University-wide events, lectures, receptions, etc. (Don't crash events that you are not invited to, but do put those items that you have been invited to and/or are open invitations on your calendar and go!) Also consider attending local events and lectures.
Next Section: The Mentor Mentee Connection
Mentoring Topics
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