Forced Mentorship

“You really need this person to mentor you.”

I’ve seen this type of behavior from leaders who want to incorporate “mentorship mechanisms” in their workplace. This comes in the form of some type of appointed mentor within the organization.

As someone who has been both a mentor and mentee, I look to avoid this model, as it breaks what makes mentorship effective and rewarding. This model also imposes norms that really don’t apply when it comes to mentorship.

In contrast to that model, these are how I build mentor/mentee relationships:

• Start with the “relationship” first. It’s ok if the relationship doesn’t foster into a mentor/mentee one. Even if they’re great at their job or more senior, they may have got there a different way than what you envision for yourself.

• Ensure that you bring something to the table. From both sides, there should be a value that you can add to the relationship. As a mentee, you can show that you’re invested in your own growth, share things you’re learning, which can inspire your mentor. As a mentor, the active listening and safe space you bring allows that growth to happen, and you become a large part of that through these skills.

• Mentors can be of any job or level. Yes, you can even have mentors that are of a lower job level! Sometimes, different team members can have interesting perspectives. Job levels do not define their worth as a mentor, their experiences and expertise do.

• If you have multiple mentors, look for one that’s outside of your work space or company. This allows you to get unbiased feedback about specific work situations, as internal mentors may not have the ability to look at those objectively.

There’s a lot of good information out there about what to do once these relationships are established. Using the above can help get the right relationships started, and provide the foundation of good career and professional growth.

I’m curious of any opinions others have of this!