Elements of Effective Mentoring

Overall, the mentor and mentee should together establish goals for the mentoring process.  Effective mentoring most commonly involves the creation of a collaborative plan that

• Helps the mentee develop a career vision;
• Identifies how the mentee will achieve the vision;
• Creates strategic goals that are achievable and measurable;
• Includes annual review of progress on goals;
• Useful forms and templates

Mentors and mentees are encouraged to meet and discuss activities that promote mentees’ needs and interests through face-to-face interactions, phone calls, or emails. Mentoring activities may include:

• Take mentee out for lunch
• Introduce mentee to other faculty members
• Introduce mentee to staff who can provide useful resources
• Attend mentoring workshops together offered by the University

• Discuss research strategies
• Review CV and provide feedback
• Discuss research funding opportunities and strategies
• Review grant applications

• Review students’ teaching evaluations
• Discuss effective instructional skills
• Discuss teaching portfolio
• Share useful teaching resources
• Observe mentee teaching in classroom

• Discuss potential service opportunities at the department or university level (e.g., service on committee)
• Discuss scholarly service opportunities (e.g., journal reviewer, conference organizers)
• Discuss ways to balance service and research/teaching
• Provide advice regarding avenues for community engagement

• Discuss long-term career goals
• Discuss tenure and promotion process including preparing dossier when relevant
• Discuss departmental climate and provide advice on faculty relationships

• Discuss work-to-life and life-to-work conflicts
• Share time management strategies
• Share stress management techniques

• Explore technology transfer implications of research
• Discuss relevant patent development and licensing
• Explore consulting opportunities
• Help identify strategies to network with various community groups
• Assist in developing best practices for working effectively with community groups, NGO’s and businesses at the local through global levels. discovered and making changes to mentor/mentee relationships and practices as needed.