A cheat sheet for getting the most from your mentor

One of the biggest mistakes mentees make in their relationships with mentors is viewing themselves as passive recipients. But the truth is that being mentored is a skill. It’s not one that’s difficult to master, but it does require taking an active role. Here’s a quick cheat sheet of what you need to do to get the most out of your mentoring relationship.

Cultivate the right traits

There are certain characteristics that lend themselves to being a good mentee. Thankfully, these are all traits that you can strengthen with practice. Below are three that we believe are critical for a successful mentoring relationship:

Patience

During the mentorship process, you set goals for what you want to achieve. While you may envision yourself meeting all your milestones in the first month, the reality is that mentoring is a slow and gradual process. Good mentees recognize this and are willing to commit to the relationship, knowing that while they see some immediate benefits, the real payoff happens over years – not weeks.

Receptiveness

It’s also important for mentees to be receptive to feedback, regardless of whether it’s positive or constructive. When mentees are open-minded about learning their strengths and weaknesses, they develop more self-awareness and make faster progress toward their goals.

Purposefulness

As a mentee, you’re going to receive a lot of valuable advice from your mentor. But it’s not enough to just listen to this guidance – as a mentee, you need to act on that advice to see progress. That’s why we encourage mentees to take notes during sessions with their mentors, devise an action plan, and take the appropriate steps.

Prepare for mentoring sessions

Many mentees make the mistake of showing up to their sessions with the expectation that the mentor will drive the conversation. Remember: these sessions are mainly for *your *benefit. To make the most of your limited time with your mentor, we recommend doing the following in advance:

• Think about your goals for the upcoming meeting

• Create an agenda, and share it with your mentor for feedback

• Write down a list of questions you want to ask

• Review your notes from the last meeting