It has been a lovely time for the legal community which has come together over several mentoring and coaching opportunities created by law students, current and future trainees. Being a mentor is similar to being a trusted advisor. You will be consulted, you want to be counselled and you want to cheer them on!!
Having been a mentee and a current mentor, I am constantly trying to enhance these relationships to make best use of both. I thought I would share some tips on how to honour a mentor-mentee relationship:
Identify expectations and how the mentee wants to benefit from such a relationship - the foundation of such engagement is for the mentee to feel like they can benefit from the mentor’s experiences and advice.
Set goals mutually - this is an interesting one since at times, it feels like the goals are usually set by the mentee and they have to chase the mentor or follow up consistently. But actually as a mentor you will have your own goals and what you would like to achieve through this relationship. I try to end every session or email with a summary of what each of us will be working on by the next session.
Empower them and the mentee will make their own decision - sometimes it is a good idea to place yourself in the mentee’s position and think what would I have wanted to hear from a mentor, what would I have made use of. I think words of encouragement are most important. Tell them they are capable, they will make it, their hard work will pay off. This will enable them to see through your advice and they will make a decision on what they decide to do next.
Be available but scheduled - we all have our schedules, whether it is work or studies so make it clear beforehand what your availability is and set a contact schedule to remain consistent and in touch.
Take a genuine interest in each other - it is a personal relationship and through the journey you will get to know each other, even if it is about studying a degree or a career option. Get to know each other through active listening skills by making a conscious effort to pay attention and concentrate on the quality of the conversation.