Recently, we discussed the value in asking questions to keep a conversation going. What happens when you don’t know where to start?

One common answer I’ve heard when I ask mentees if they’ve met with their mentors is, “I would, but I don’t know what to talk about.” Well, that surely can make keeping a conversation going quite a challenge.

When pressed, though, mentees will disclose a variety of topics they’d like to learn about, skills they’d like to develop or areas in which they’d like to improve. You can almost hear the “click” when they realize they can use these as discussion topics with their mentor. Someone just has to ask that question, “What do you want?” That someone can be a mentor, a peer or preferably, oneself.

Answering this question is one of the first–and vital–steps in launching a mentoring relationship. That’s not to say that it is an easy question to answer, though. I have a tough enough time answering that question when it’s time to plan dinner, let alone thinking about what I want from my career and how a mentor could help! Luckily, there is a wealth of resources out there to help you get started in setting your mentoring goals. While many of these were devised for postdocs and early career researchers, the concepts apply to any field. A few quick steps can help any mentee get started down their mentoring journey.

Think about where you’d like to go and what can help get you there.

Sound trite? It is. But that’s about as basic as it gets. You must know this about yourself before you can reap the benefits of mentoring. For postdocs, this might be an easy question to answer, as they have a definite need to get to some next stage of their careers. Mentees at other career levels might have to ponder this a little more. But, what if you don’t want to “go” anywhere? That’s okay. Maybe there are things you’d like to work on to grow professionally and personally in your current role.

Common topics mentees seek to work on with their mentors often include communication skills, leadership skills, networking, work/life balance, learning organizational culture and management skills. Researchers may prioritize discipline-specific skills that will help them become independent–proposal writing, lab management, publishing, collaboration. Whatever comes to mind, write it down.

Do a self-check to see what your current comfort level is with each topic.

How confident are you with your communication skills? Does writing grant proposals or publications scare you under the table? How much do you know about managing budgets or directing the work of others?

Some tools to help you gauge your level of confidence include:

• National Postdoctoral Association Core Competencies
• Science Careers MyIDP Skills Assessment
• University of Wisconsin ICTR Mentee Self Assessment Questionnaire

While the last three were developed for researchers, they cover global transferable skills such as management, communication, leadership, networking, and managing conflict.

Write questions to ask your mentor about each topic and script your next meeting.

Let’s say, for instance, you’ve been told you have leadership potential and want to build on this. You’ve been reading books and articles on leadership and have been following several influencers on LinkedIn. When you sit down to write out goals for building leadership skills, you become overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. You feel confident in some areas, but less so in others. You might want to start your next mentoring conversation by saying something like, “I’d like to work on leadership development. This seems like such a broad topic, though. Can we spend some time discussing key leadership skills and identify some attainable goals I can work towards?”

Or, maybe you want to be more effective at networking. After your self-assessment, you seem pretty confident with your ability hold technical conversations with colleagues in your field. You are aware that your field is becoming more interdisciplinary and want to adapt and grow in this direction. Talking to people in other fields is a mystery to you, though. You might consider starting your next mentoring conversation by asking your mentor to talk about his or her journey and how they’ve met people and built relationships throughout their career.

Bring it all together by planning your mentoring meeting.

Take this information–your goals, assessment, potential starter questions–and plan your next mentor meeting. And don’t just plan, schedule the meeting and go!

A little bit of planning can go a long way in achieving your mentoring goals. As you can see, questions are just as important in starting the conversation as they are in continuing the conversation!

Additional Resources:

National Association of Colleges and Employers guide for mentees (includes starter questions for a host of topics)

Tip Sheets for Mentors and Mentees

Questions to Ask and Points to Ponder for Mentors and Mentees

What’s a Mentor/ee to Do?

The fourth quarter of the fiscal year can bring many challenges. You may find yourself working feverishly to finish program deliverables or finalize budget requests. Supervisors may be thinking ahead to performance discussions with employees. Postdocs are gearing up for the academic search season. For mentors and supervisors, this is also a prime time for writing letters of recommendation. Parents may be saying goodbye to children as they head off to college or school for the first time.

While the fall can bring a sense of relaxation with the change in colors and cool breezes, managing all of the year-end tasks can be stressful. Now is the time to be reaching out to mentors, supervisors and colleagues to make sure you stay on track.

One question I often hear from staff and postdocs who are new to mentoring is, “What should we talk about?” While there is no one right answer to this question, here are some tips that may help get the conversation going.

• Are you skittish about advocating for yourself? (Don’t worry, most of us are.) Not sure how to articulate your strengths? Ask a trusted colleague or friend to re-write your resume. What would they say about you? Second opinions can be a valuable tool in answering the question, “What are your strengths?”
• Stuck on a research problem? Ask your mentor to meet for coffee or lunch and talk it out. Just having a sounding board can generate new ideas and lead to breakthroughs.
• Nervous about your performance discussion? Practice with a friend.
• Are you a supervisor who will be having performance discussions with employees for the first time? Not sure where to start? Ask a more experienced colleague for advice.
• Applying for a faculty position and want some insider tips? Peruse the Postdoc Blog for articles featuring alumni, guest columns from academics and other resources.
• Are you supervising or mentoring a postdocs and want to equip yourself with resources to point them in the right direction? Check out the resources on the Postdoctoral Program Website.

Think about your immediate needs and your long-term goals. Think about who in your network is best poised to maximize success. Prioritize topics for discussion and take that first step. Which reminds me, Argonne is a remarkably scenic campus. Why not take that first step outside?

 

What’s a person to do when asked to be a mentor? What does it mean to be a mentor? What are the benefits of mentoring? What responsibilities does a mentee have?

These are just a few questions we discussed at the Mentoring Basics JumpStart meeting on June 18th.

Miss the discussion and want to host it in your division or for your group? Contact Tina Henne with the Argonne Leadership Institute. Preview the slides here.

In the meantime, check out some resources available to you.

For more on Postdoc Mentoring–for both postdocs and mentors-visit the National Postdoctoral Association Website for mentoring toolkits. As a sustaining member of the NPA, Argonne staff and postdocs can join as an affiliate member for free, when registering with your Argonne email.

Got a story about mentoring to share? Let’s talk!