Mentoring to Make A Difference THE Connection Accelerator Mentor Program

Your Role as a Mentor Provide guidance and support to your mentee based on his or her unique developmental needs. Act as sounding board for ideas or concerns about school/career choices. Provide insights into possible career opportunities here in the Pittsburgh region.

Be Committed Being a mentor is a commitment Follow through with promises Be there for your mentee when needed Together, decide on the best way to engage with your mentee

Be Open-Minded and Compassionate In order to provide valuable guidance and advice that is well-received, it’s necessary to first understand the mentee’s needs, wants, and feelings.

Have Patience Much like parenting, mentoring can be a satisfying, but also long-term and trying endeavor.

Be a Role Model As a mentor, your actions are constantly being evaluated, so you must set the bar just as high or higher than you’d expect from your mentee. Your goal is to not only provide direction and advice, but to get your mentee to act on that guidance. Few things are as impactful than to lead by example. Demonstrate confidence and leadership. A good role model is someone who is always positive, calm, and confident in themselves.

Listen Make the time to listen and understand the situation Any mentor that is worth their weight spends considerably more time listening than they do speaking.

Invest in the Relationship Invest yourself in your mentee, don’t just “phone in” your time and participation in the relationship. 1 Take a sincere interest in the betterment of your mentee. 2 Involve your mentee in your business activities, meetings, and events. Introduce them to others in your field of work. 3

Thank you for volunteering Thank you for volunteering! Contact Patricia Bucek with questions regarding the Connection Accelerator Mentorship Program patriciab@vibrantpittsburgh.org