Mentoring: The Basics
Many people applaud the effort of mentors, but not too many people know how to be a good mentor. Others do not recognize a good, effective mentor.
Mentoring in STEM has been in the spotlight for the last few years. It is great to have more people want to mentor because there are a lot of students and professionals that need professional guidance. It is not often easy to mentor for various reasons and not everyone can be an effective mentor.
Most of us look for and need a decent mentor. Actually, having several mentors that serve various roles as we move along our academic and career trajectories can help us better navigate.
But, how do we pay it forward?
“Be honest about what you know and what you don’t.”
It can be frustrating for both parties when a mentorship works against the greater goal of producing better scientists (or other professionals). I have mentored students and trainees from middle- to graduate-school level. I have learned a lot about mentoring, students, and myself with over a decade of mentoring experience. Here are a few lessons that I want to share with you:
Patience
Everyone has their own learning curve. It is important to recognize this early on in a mentorship.
Question
Solve questions together. Wonder what, why and how.
Help
Ask for help from your mentee, mentor, or colleagues/peers.
Learn
Learn from your mentee, how they think about things and how they learn best.
Honest
Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. It is perfectly fine to tell your mentee that you will get back to them after you have researched answers to their questions.
Bottom Line:
I have learned that these components together can help to make the best possible situation for both mentor and mentee. We learn as we become more experienced as long as we pay attention to what works and what doesn’t.
Happy mentoring!
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