Responsibilities of the Mentee

Abstract

The responsibilities of a mentee extend throughout all of the stages in a mentoring relationship or cycle. In the first phase, the mentee should prepare to be mentored which requires setting goals, identifying needs, researching potential mentors, and choosing a mentor. After selecting a mentor, the mentee should focus on getting acquainted, building the relationship, and setting shared goals and expectations. During the main phase of the relationship, the mentee and mentor work together to achieve the set goals. In the final phase, the mentee and mentor should reflect on their own and together on the successes of and lessons learned from the relationship. There are multiple tools that can be used during the mentorship cycle to aid in clarifying goals, strengths and weaknesses, expectations, and performance such as a gap analysis or a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. Finally, frameworks have been proposed for formally evaluating the mentoring relationship. Ultimately, a successful mentoring relationship requires planning, active engagement, and accountability from both the mentee and the mentor.