What are the 4 functions of a mentoring relationship?

Effective relationships in mentoring are essential to ensuring a successful experience and outcome.  The principle of creating a mentoring relationship may seem obvious. However, to ensure that both parties have a valuable and enjoyable experience, both mentor and mentee should be aware of their responsibilities within the relationship.

 What is the role of the mentor?

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

Steven Spielberg

A mentor is someone who has a genuine interest in overseeing and supporting the career and/or development of another person outside the normal supervision process.  Mentors may help their mentees by:

• encouraging and empowering personal development
• helping identify and correct gaps in relevant skills and knowledge
• increasing confidence
• developing and maintaining a broader perspective on career options and opportunities
• defining, and helping to achieve career goals
• providing additional access to a senior role model
• providing a broader perspective as well as insight into University culture

Mentors may enter a long term mentoring relationship or may be called upon to act as a one-stop mentoring advice point for a specific topic.

Other roles and responsibilities include:

• understanding what mentoring is and each role within the relationship
• validating that mentoring is the best solution for support
• agreeing a mentoring contract at the beginning of each relationship
• making a genuine commitment to mentoring relationships
• seeking further clarity on objectives, to be clear on the required outcome
• dealing professionally with any conflicts of interest that arise
• observing confidentiality

What is the role of the mentee?

 “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the right direction.”

John C Crosby

The mentee is responsible for being proactive and is expected to drive the mentoring relationship forward. This means selecting a mentor, establishing and maintaining contact with them, and setting up meetings. The mentee is expected to set the agenda and develop objectives for the programme.

Other roles and responsibilities include:

• understanding what mentoring is and each role within the relationship
• agreeing and committing to mentoring
• setting the agenda and purpose for the relationship
• clarifying to the mentor what they would like to achieve
• agreeing a mentoring contract at the beginning of the relationship
• maintaining commitment to the relationship
• observing confidentiality
• where appropriate, getting agreement to participate from a line manager

"If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before."

— J Loren Norris

Establishing a positive mentor mentee relationship is very much like establishing any other human relationship. It requires both parties to have a genuine desire to understand the values and expectations of each other.

Mentor Mentee Relationship Stages

A mentor mentee mentoring relationship goes through four stages over the period of nine to twelve months:

1. Initiation
2. Negotiation
3. Growth
4. Closure

Each stage is equally important to make a relationship successful and should be treated with the same priority. While the time spent in each phase differs from relationship to relationship, the progression is uniform.

Also Read: 4 Characteristics of a quality mentoring match

Mentor Mentee Relationship Stage 1: Initiation

The first stage is a very important stage of a mentoring relationship. The mentor mentee get to know each other, see if they are the right match, and build the relationship. They informally discuss their common interests, values, future goals, and dreams.

Since the mentoring pair is new in the relationship, the first stage can be a bit challenging. There can be confusion, difficulty in communication, or even lack of communication. In many cases, mentees are reluctant to trust their mentors at this stage.

If this stage is not treated as a priority, the relationship can cut short because of miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Mentors play a vital role here to make the relationship work. Not only do they take the initiatives to communicate with the mentee, but also devote time to the relationship. They make sure the mentee feels comfortable with them. Further, they are responsible for building trust in the mentee.

Also Read: How to be a great virtual mentor?

Mentor Mentee Relationship Stage 2: Negotiation

The second stage is the business stage of a mentor-mentee relationship. It is the stage where a mentor helps the mentee set learning goals. They also agree on their initial expectations and define the strategy to achieve the target. Besides, they talk about when and how they will meet, what will be the frequency of their meeting and accountability.

Although mentors and mentees work on setting goals and creating a work plan, the negotiation stage is not quite simple. It involves talking about soft issues in a relationship, establishing ground rules, confidentiality, boundaries, and shared responsibilities. These are the topics that are often left out of conversations because they are not very easy to talk about. Yet, these are critical topics that need to be discussed.

If a mentoring pair is not compatible, negotiation is the stage where they can part their ways in a friendly manner.

Also read: Top 5 Mentoring Challenges and Their Solutions

Mentor Mentee Relationship Stage 3: Growth

The mentor’s responsibilities at this stage are to help the mentee with various mentoring resources for their development. They share knowledge and experience through storytelling. They help mentees overcome challenges; and gradually a mentor becomes a guide, adviser, and friend to the mentee.

Another key responsibility of a mentor is to provide honest, candid, yet constructive feedback to the mentee. Because feedback is the most important part of a mentoring relationship. It allows mentors to acknowledge the mentee’s strengths and help them identify their weaknesses; which is crucial for mentees’ growth.

During this phase, both the partners monitor the learning process and progress to ensure the goals are being met.

Also Read: Why mentoring women in the workplace is more important than ever

Mentor Mentee Relationship Stage 4: Closure

At the fourth stage, the mentor mentee formally close their mentoring association. This can happen due to various reasons- the program is over, the goals are accomplished, needs become fulfilled, or something else. Still, this stage is more than simply marking an end to the relationship. It is an opportunity for the mentoring pair to recognize and celebrate their success.

Both mentor and mentee benefit from closure. It is an opportunity to harvest the learning and apply it in real-life situations.

Also Read: An expert guide to fostering career development through mentoring

Conclusion

Any mentoring relationship moves through these four phases. Yet, there is no specific formula to create a successful relationship. It takes effort from both partners to make it work. And if at any stage, the relationship experiences hardship, communication is the only solution.

Schedule a quick demo with our experts to learn how to create a perfect mentor mentee match.

Topics: Formal Mentoring, Mentor and Mentee, Mentoring Relationship, mentor mentee relationship

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