Our NACMA Membership Development Committee continues our series focused on our Top 10 Tips to Building A Strong Mentor/Mentee Relationship; I would like to concentrate on the final tip, Tip #10 Review Expectations.
Reviewing Expectations as a Mentor and Mentee at the beginning of the relationship & during the relationship is very important.
After defining expectations with your mentor/mentee the next step is to incorporate them in every call. Also, expectations change so if you’re in a job search, for example, make sure to bring that up in conversation and update your mentor on where everything stands. If you just got a new job and are adjusting to a new staff, culture, responsibilities etc. then get advice and have the conversation revolve around that.
It doesn’t have to be a formal conversation reviewing expectations during each call, but casually just checking in with your mentor/mentee from time to time helps and keeps the relationship on track.