Responsibilities of mentor and mentee

Question 1

What is the mentee responsible for?

Answer 1

• Direct the focus of mentorship - where you feel you need the most help or advice, and - what are your particular obstacles or career and personal goals. If the mentor is getting off track with their advice, gently try to correct the focus. Even if they have a favourite topic (and we all do!) the mentor does not want to be giving out unwanted advice.
• You may have sought out a mentor because you just feel really lost, and may feel at a loss for words. You still need to verbalize your needs in some more articulate way so they can at least get a better sense of the picture and offer you relevant advice. Try changing the frame - if it’s your career you feel lost in, try talking about your personal goals or values; or if you’re struggling in your personal life you might try talking about how your work interacts with that.
• Be open to thinking about your challenges in new ways!

Question 2

What is the mentor responsible for?

Answer 2

• Check your assumptions at the door (assumptions about what their problems must be) - you have your own particular battle wounds from the past, but try not to get bogged down in those war stories if they’re not resonating with the mentee’s needs and goals.
• You need to go through a sort of discovery process with the mentee to find out really where they’re at with their goals and obstacles. You may have to imagine yourself in different shoes to keep your advice relevant.
  Keep learning about the new sorts of questions and obstacles they’re facing, this will help you stay relevant.