What is a mentor?

A mentor is an experienced professional, usually with several years of experience and a senior status within the company, who helps a less experienced professional develop their career. Usually, mentors act as confidantes and models rather than managers. They provide support through active listening and giving advice rather than directing or managing behavior. Think of it as a very informal teacher-student dynamic where the mentor teaches the mentee valuable information.

What is a mentee?

A mentee is a professional without much industry experience seeking support and guidance from an experienced professional in their field. This could be an employee who’s new to the working world or anyone who changes jobs and is starting fresh in a new industry or role. They’re the person who receives support from a mentor within the mentor-mentee relationship. Mentees often share their ideas, successes and hardships with their mentors for feedback.

What is a mentor-mentee relationship?

The mentor-mentee relationship refers to all the interactions the two parties have with one another. It’s a professional relationship that’s based primarily on conversation. Both people meet regularly to discuss the mentee’s career and goals. Usually, the mentee drives the conversation and seeks feedback and input from the mentor, who uses their expertise and experience to provide feedback. Every mentee-mentor relationship varies, so some mentors may be more proactive or offer more guidance than others.

Benefits of mentor-mentee relationships

Mentor-mentee relationships, particularly those grounded within a single organization, provide benefits to the mentor, mentee and company. Consider the top advantages for each party involved.

Mentor

Mentors often feel pride and accomplishment when acting in their capacity as an advisor. Here are a few other benefits of acting as a mentor.

• Recognition: Taking on the role of mentor strengthens that individual’s expertise in the field.
• Growth: Mentors often learn from their mentees, just as their mentees learn from them. The topics and concerns brought up by the mentee might be issues the mentor needs to research, which could help them gain knowledge of skills.
• Leadership: Mentoring a colleague is a great way to develop and showcase your leadership skills, which could prepare you to advance within the company.
• Reflection: Acting as a mentor allows the mentor to reflect on their past professional decisions.It could even inspire them to make some changes in their career.
• Varying viewpoints: Working with an employee who is new to the industry and might come from a different background introduces the mentor to new viewpoints. While sometimes challenging, it can also open their minds to new ideas and make them more effective.
• Networking: While supporting a mentee, a mentor might need to reach out to other professionals or reconnect with their old industry contacts. Those conversations help strengthen or grow the mentor’s professional network.

Mentee

Mentees receive many benefits from working with a mentor.

• Guidance: Mentors often provide mentees with gentle, professional guidance that can help them learn new ideas and accelerate their understanding of the industry.
• Visibility: An effective mentor-mentee relationship increases the mentee’s visibility among the leadership of the company.
• Goal setting: Working with a mentor helps the mentee identify and set goals. The mentor can help break down those goals and monitor progress toward reaching them.
• Reassurance: Starting a new position or changing jobs can be overwhelming. A mentor offers a go-to person to help give the mentee reassurance. They might share their own stories of starting in the role, point out what they’re doing well or offer them actionable steps to overcome their concerns.

Company

When both the mentor and mentee work for the same business, the company also benefits from the relationship in the following ways.

• Growth: The mentor-mentee relationship allows both parties to improve their skills and learn new things, which can help the company grow.
• Culture: Mentor programs help build the company culture and get everyone on board with the company’s mission and vision.
• Development: Mentors develop their leadership skills through their mentor-mentee relationships. That can help prepare them for future management positions, allowing you to promote from within.
• Retention: Both mentors and mentees feel seen and appreciated by the company, improving morale and employee retention.
• Improved communication: Collaborating improves mentoring and mentee communication skills. They learn to share their ideas clearly and actively listen to one another. Improving overall communication can help the company work more efficiently.

Qualities of a great mentor

While every mentor will have a different approach and relationship with their mentee, most share several specific qualities that make them excellent mentors.

Expertise

A successful mentor doesn’t have to be the top expert in the field, but they should have a good grasp of the industry and the role of the mentee. This makes it easier for them to provide targeted feedback that’s useful for the mentee. They should also understand how to share that expertise effectively.

Enthusiasm

An enthusiastic mentor helps spark excitement in the mentee. Enthusiasm about the mentee-mentor relationship can make them more effective because they want to be involved and share their expertise. They’re also enthusiastic about watching their mentee grow and celebrating their successes. The mentee picks up on that enthusiasm, which may encourage them to participate more fully.

Respect

Respect is a central component of a successful mentor and mentee relationship. Mentors should show mentees respect despite the difference in their experience or knowledge. They should speak to mentees as equals rather than judging them based on their inexperience.

Availability

Mentors have their own work responsibilities, but they should still make time for their mentees. Being accessible makes a mentor a more valuable resource for a newer employee who might be stuck on an issue. It should also be relatively easy to schedule regular meetings to have that consistency.

Communication

Mentors should be outstanding communicators. They should know how to deliver feedback, both positive and constructive, and be exceptional active listeners, ready to hear what the mentee has to say and offer guidance. It’s also important that they share actionable advice.

Empathy

Empathy allows mentors to understand where their mentees are coming from and remember the concerns and difficulties of the earlier stages in their role. It can help the mentor relate to the mentee and provide effective support and advice.

Willingness

Participating willingly generally means the mentor will be more invested and put more effort into the mentoring relationship. Avoid forcing employees to become mentors. You might suggest the opportunity to someone who would make a good mentor, but let them decide to pursue the opportunity themselves.

Types of workplace mentor-mentee relationship programs

Mentoring programs can take on different looks with varying focuses, depending on what your employees need. Explore the following types of mentoring to determine what might work well within your organization.

Career mentoring

Career mentoring is the classic mentor-mentee relationship most people imagine when they think of a mentorship. With career mentoring, a mentor and mentee regularly meet to discuss the mentee’s career or role and ways to help develop and advance.

High-potential mentoring

High-potential mentoring operates similarly to career mentoring, but the players involved differ slightly. Usually, the mentor is a very high-ranking leader within the organization. The mentee is a professional that the leadership team has identified as a potential future leader. The mentor-mentee relationship focuses on developing the mentee specifically for a leadership role.

Mentoring circles

Mentoring circles operate differently than the other types of mentor-mentee relationships mentioned. Instead of two participants, a mentor and a mentee, the mentoring circle is usually composed of five to eight peers who meet regularly to discuss career development and potential.

Tips for implementing and maintaining mentor-mentee relationships

Use these tips to help your employees start and maintain strong mentor-mentee relationships.

• Set expectations: Establish specific expectations and goals for the relationship so you know what you’re working towards. Getting both parties involved in setting the expectations can ensure it’s a mutually beneficial and enjoyable experience.
• Have a schedule: Set up regular meetings to provide consistency. How often you meet can depend on the schedules and preferences of both people. You might meet more frequently in the beginning and space out the one-on-ones as the new employee gains confidence. Have open lines of communication between meetings to discuss any pressing challenges.
• Speak honestly: You’ll get more out of the connection when you’re open and honest. Mentors can set the example by being transparent and willing to share.
• Talk about the tough things: To get the most out of mentorship, both parties need to be willing to have difficult conversations. That might look like a mentor giving honest, constructive feedback on something the mentee needs to improve on. From the mentee’s perspective, that might mean admitting they’re unsure of something and asking for genuine help.
• Be proactive: Being a successful mentor is a delicate balance of letting the mentee tell you what they need and knowing when to step in and guide them. A proactive approach to checking in with the mentee and suggesting topics to discuss could encourage a more meaningful mentor and mentee relationship.

FAQs about mentor and mentee relationships

Is mentoring a leadership role?

Company mentorship programs invite employees from various roles to participate. They still maintain their normal work roles with mentoring as an extra duty. Mentors might be in leadership roles within the company, but they aren’t required to be. Mentoring calls on leadership skills in many ways, so it can be thought of as a leadership role.

Do employees need a mentor for career growth?

Mentors aren’t necessary for career growth, but they can help mentees develop their skills faster than they would on their own. They can learn from their mentor’s mistakes and soak up their knowledge from years of experience. Plus, mentor-mentee relationships often help the mentee gain visibility with leadership-level employees within their organization, which could help them climb the ranks faster than normal.

What does a successful mentee-mentor relationship look like?

A successful mentorship involves two enthusiastic, willing participants who look forward to their meetings. It involves open, honest conversations and active listening from both parties. To remain successful, the mentor and mentee relationship might evolve to match new situations or needs that arise.

How do you build trust between mentor and mentee?

Building trust starts by treating each other with respect and keeping certain aspects of the relationship confidential. The mentee is trusting the mentor to help them and take their concerns seriously. If the mentor gossips about the things the mentee tells them or talks negatively about the mentee, it dissolves the trust. It can also help to get to know one another beyond the workplace.