What are the roles of a mentor and a mentee.?
Are you a new mentor, mentee or even mentoring program coordinator ? To help you more easily immerse yourself in your mentoring experience, Elo ‘s mentoring expert , Camille Detouillon , offers an overview of the main roles and responsibilities of a mentor and mentee.
What you will learn in this resource:
Roles of a Mentor
Indeed, a mentor can play several roles. It helps the mentee to have an external perspective on certain situations and acts impartially. He listens attentively and helps to think about new solutions. He can thus put the mentee’s problems into perspective and motivate him to take action.
1. Welcome the mentee
By taking the step of contacting a mentor, the mentee puts himself in a position of vulnerability. When making contact, a mentor should be welcoming, caring and open in order to put his mentee in confidence and thus create a good atmosphere. This establishes a solid bond of trust for the rest of the mentoring relationship.
2. Advise the mentee
When necessary, the mentor can provide suggestions on a specific issue. However, it is important to remember to leave the mentee in control of their own choices and decisions. Asking open questions (simple and succinct) and inviting the mentee to reflect on the situation and the actions he wishes to take is an interesting technique.
camille detouillon mentoring expert
3. Support the mentee in his challenges
This consists, among other things, of supporting him through various challenges. Agility is the key to success, even more so in the context of a pandemic where the mentee is faced with many extraordinary challenges.
4. Promote the advancement of the mentee
Not everyone progresses at the same speed. Being a mentor also means being patient and listening to a mentee. It is to motivate and encourage him. To support the mentee’s advancement, recommend that he or she set SMART goals from the start of the mentoring relationship. It will be interesting to bring the mentee to reflect on the evolution he has made since the beginning of the mentoring relationship by referring to these objectives.
5. Provide interesting challenges
Offering exercises, challenges and mini-missions adapted to the current needs and skills of the mentee is an interesting avenue. The role of the mentor is to remain in support if necessary. In this way, the mentee remains in control of his learning. By proceeding in this way and recognizing their progress/successes, the mentee advances in their approach and gets closer to their objectives.
6. Give direct, useful and constructive feedback
Feedback allows the mentee to identify areas for improvement and helps him progress in his professional life. It is therefore important for the mentor to give honest and unbiased feedback.
7. Morally support the mentee
Sometimes a mentee may appear preoccupied, stressed or anxious. Indeed, in times of pandemic, it is not uncommon to experience some psychological distress and to see oneself affected professionally. Isolation and telework are indeed sources of discouragement and loss of motivation. It is therefore important to listen to your mentee and show empathy. It may sometimes be necessary to postpone the session or adapt the agenda to the new needs of the mentee. Finally, know how to refer when the situation is outside your area of expertise.
8. Reassure the mentee
The mentee needs to be reassured about his skills. It is important to help him develop his confidence in his abilities. To do this, the mentor benefits from valuing the learning of his mentee and supporting him in his personal and professional development.
mentee to put themselves in a position of learning and vulnerability by revealing their needs, strengths and weaknesses.
