Mentoring Tips

MENTORING MEETING JOURNAL

Consider using a mentoring meeting journal following meetings with your mentor or mentee. It will help you track the progress of your relationship, remind you of action items and help structure your meeting time. Here is a link to our Mentoring Meeting Journal.

GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK

Mentees want to receive honest, candid feedback from their mentor. Equally important is the feedback mentees can offer to mentors. Engaging in reciprocal and on-going feedback is a vital component of the partnership. Here are some examples of effective feedback to give your mentee or your mentor.

Effective feedback:

• Is offered in a timely manner
• Focuses on specific behaviors
• Acknowledges outside factors that may contribute
• Emphasizes actions, solutions or strategies

Effective Feedback from Mentee:

• Whether the advice or guidance you offered was beneficial and solved an issue
• Whether the mentor communication style and/or actions facilitate a positive mentoring experience
• Whether the mentor communication style and/or actions create challenges to a positive mentoring experience

Effective Feedback to Mentee:

• Mentee strengths and assets
• Areas for growth, development and enhancement
• Harmful behaviors or attitudes
• Observations on how your mentee may be perceived by other

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are used widely by organizations—from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the U.S. Coast Guard—to help individuals develop and achieve career goals. We think it’s a great tool to guide successful mentoring relationships. An IDP helps the mentor understand the mentee’s needs and the mentee identify professional goals. Mentees can send their completed IDP to their mentor prior to their meeting to make the most of their meeting time.

Here is a link to our UCSF Faculty Mentoring Program Individual Development Plan.

Or check out the IDP developed for UCSF School of Medicine by the Academy of Medical Educators.