EMPOWERING YOUR MENTORING PROGRAM WITH TRAINING FOR MENTORSHIP JOAN M. LAKOSKI, PH.D. ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION OUTREACH UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, HEALTH SCIENCES MARCH 28, USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STIMULATE GOOD MENTEE – MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS? 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

WHAT ARE EFFECTIVE APPROACHES TO STIMULATE AND SUSTAIN GOOD MENTEE – MENTOR RELATIONSHIPS? 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

 Consider the importance of “setting the stage” in a new mentoring relationship  Discuss the role of providing training to mentees and mentors regarding their respective roles and responsibilities  Explore the importance of establishing goals and expectations among all parties  Consider strategies to encourage effective communication among all parties What we hope you will learn from this session

Who are the parties in a mentoring program?  Mentees  Mentors  Mentoring Program Director  Program staff/administrators  Departments/Centers/Institutes  University  Public

Careers in academic institution are increasingly difficult to navigate And why does mentoring matter?

Careers as a exciting rollercoaster ride Highs, lows, twists and turns

The old linear model of academia

The new dynamic model of academia

Junior faculty face complex issues navigating the labyrinth of an academic career Where to I want to go? How to I find the right path? Who will help me make the best choices? Will my organization help me meet my goals?

Mentoring is a partnership agreement between individuals sharing experiences and expertise to help with personal and professional growth  A multidimensional social process  Empowers individuals to capitalize their personal and professional strengths  Gives support and guidance so individuals challenge themselves and take risks in their career paths

Mentoring Functions  Career Functions “Learning the ropes”  Individual advancement  Sponsorship  Exposure & visibility  Coaching  Protection  Challenging assignments  Psychosocial Functions Establishment of professional identity  Role modeling  Acceptance & confirmation  Counseling  Friendship

DON’T WE KNOW WHO TO TURN TO FOR ADVICE AND GUIDANCE? Mentors

AND DON’T WE KNOW WHO TO AVOID IN A MENTORING RELATIONSHIP? Good Mentors For mentees – the challenge is to learn from both Tormentors

Negative mentoring experiences are possible Mentoring versus “cloning” Unethical behavior Boundary violations Acknowledgement: Audrey J. Murrell, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Business Administration University of Pittsburgh Caution: Mentoring is not a panacea

Careers in academic institutions are increasingly difficult to navigate They may need multiple mentors As your mentees establish their faculty identity …

LAUNCHING A NEW MENTORING RELATIONSHIP THE IMPORTANCE OF “SETTING THE STAGE” 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

Dr. Regino is a talented early stage career investigator in the field of aging research now going into his 3 rd year of his appointment as tenure track Assistant Professor. He joined the PATHS Mentoring Program (see handout) and met with his mentor Dr. Sally for the first several months. Lately, however, Dr. Sally has not seen or heard from her mentee… Case Study: The missing mentee

Discussion (In Small Groups) Please refer to the PATHS Mentoring Expectations document What should Dr. Sally do? What obligations does Dr. Sally have? What are Dr. Regino’s obligations? How might the Mentoring Program Director assist? What is the impact of false assumptions? Case Study: The missing mentee

As Directors of Mentoring Programs what activities are essential to launch a new mentee-mentor pair or mentoring team? “Setting the stage” at the beginning

LAUNCHING A NEW MENTORING RELATIONSHIP HOW DO MENTEES AND MENTORS LEARN THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES? 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

Roles and responsibilities that contribute to an effective mentoring relationship  Mentees - Set goals and identify needs - Seek guidance and feedback - Accept feedback - Be open to new skills and approaches - Accept responsibility for actions - Maintain confidentiality - Maintain regular contact  Mentors - Facilitate mentee’s learning and growth - Provide skills and make needed resources available - Provide guidance - Provide feedback - Evaluate the mentee’s plans - Maintain confidentiality - Maintain regular contact

Attributes and habits that make for an effective mentoring relationship  Come prepared to meetings  Respect each other’s time  Follow through and accept responsibility  Demonstrate foresight and self-knowledge  Come with solutions, not just problems  Seek clarification in communications  Give, request and accept feedback

Mentors can have multiple roles in a mentoring relationship  Information broker  Coach  Guide  Ally  Advocate  Reality check  Fan club  Wisdom keeper Mentor as Guide - Imparts professional skills - Encourages strategic thinking - Helps mentee reflect on behaviors that help or hinder success and how to learn from failures Mentor as Ally - Provides a safe place where mentee can ask questions and share difficulties - Helps mentee see how other perceive them - Offers specific feedback to support mentee’s growth Mentor as Advocate -Champion mentee to increase visibility -Open doors to new learning experiences - Connect mentee to others who can be of benefit

Mentors can ask great questions: What are your immediate goals? Where do you want to be in the next 2 years? What do you want to accomplish in 10 years? Have you considered personal issues, including work-life balance? Do you have a written plan? Mentors can assist with timelines and goals

Formal training for mentors is emerging - TEAM at University of Pittsburgh So how do we teach mentoring?

 Fill out the Mentoring Challenge Form  From TEAM at the University of Pittsburgh  Find a partner and compare results Exercise: Learning to be mentor

Learning to be a mentor Discussion  What worked well?  What was difficult?  Advantages to this form?  Disadvantages to this form?  How might this activity support your role as Director of a Mentoring Program?  How might mentor training encourage and/or discourage new mentors?

LAUNCHING A NEW MENTORING RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHING GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

To Be Effective Mentees and Mentors...  Build an understanding of your personal goals and expectations for this mentoring relationship  Begin a dialogue to share goals and expectations

 Need a partner  One to be the mentee and one to the mentor  Each needs a 4x 6” card Exercise: Setting goals and expectations

Developing a mutual understanding of goals and expectations  Individually list 3 goals and 3 expectations for your mentoring relationship  Share your goals and expectations for this mentoring relationship seeking to understand respective view points  Have you identified areas that will require additional reflection and discussion ?

Developing a mutual understanding of goals and expectations Discussion  What worked well?  What was difficult?  Advantages to this interaction?  Disadvantages to this interaction?  How might this support your role as Director of a Mentoring Program? Director of a Mentoring Program?

 Need a partner (find a new partner)  One to be the mentee and one to the mentor  Each pair needs a Mentoring Agreement Form Exercise: Use of mentoring agreement for setting goals and expectations

Developing a mutual understanding of goals and expectations Discussion  What worked well?  What was difficult?  Advantages to this interaction?  Disadvantages to this interaction?  How might this support your role as Director of a Mentoring Program? Director of a Mentoring Program?  What is the impact of having a signed agreement?

SUSTAINING A NEW MENTORING RELATIONSHIP ENCOURAGING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Forum

Mentoring thrives on communication Clear communication is vital to keeping a mentoring relationship on track Consider a balance between virtual and face to face meetings Mentor Program Directors can review the frequency of meetings

To Be Effective Mentees and Mentors...  Build trust and solve problems through effective interaction  Effective listening and dialogue are essential

Develop a written action plan for your mentoring relationship  Goal setting can be helpful  Recognize short term versus longer term goals  Establish milestones for future review  Write it down Periodic review and assessment of the mentoring relationship can be useful

What can derail a mentoring relationship? Lack of effective communication Need to access frequency of interactions Types of communication Make time for face to face discussions when either party is not satisfied with progress Be patient but don’t wait….

So if your next career steps seem like a rollercoaster ride…

Academic careers can be a great ride to share with family, friends and colleagues Good luck with your mentoring programs!