If you have a mentor

[librarychica]

How is it set up? Do you have goals? Formal meetings? Or is it a more casual relationship?

I have a meeting to propose someone take me on as a mentee and I don't actually know what to propose. ;-)

[jlaok]

My mentor is my boss and he is basically grooming me to eventually take over his business. Since we work together we don't have regular meetings but I have the added tasks of training he wants me to take and I'll sometimes shadow him on things that I'll eventually have to do.

Is your person in the same field as you? It's hard to know exactly what you have in mind, but my initial thought would be to set up a regular lunch that way it can either be formal or casual and you both can set the tone as time goes on.

[judyblume14]

I had a formal mentor a few years ago. I proposed a monthly meeting schedule; listed what I expected to "get out" of the mentor/mentee relationship; had a few goals, etc. It fizzled - I think because it felt forced. I work for a global company and we were paired based on location. We both worked in finance, but that where the similarities ended.

On the other hand, I have had informal mentors in my old manager, and a friend/co-worker. I would formally schedule some time with them when I had questions or was looking for advice. I got much more out of those relationships.

edited - because we were "paired" not "paid"

[mae0111]

I have a mentor now - a SVP within a different department. We started with formal meetings, discussed goals, etc. It has fallen to the wayside a bit, but I'm looking to start it back up. I think it would work much better if it wasn't so formal and forced. My mentor is a really nice guy, and very connected within the organization. But we're both so busy that it's tough to carve out the time to prep, meet, and do the "homework" that comes out of the meetings.

[k3am]

I have an informal mentor - my prior boss. I think it works for us because we get along well on a personal level and I like him in addition to respecting him. We get together as frequently or infrequently as I reach out, but if it goes too long, he'll reach out. He's actually the one who got me my in at the new company I'm interviewing and has been great at letting me pick his brain along the way.

I think the mentor/mentee relationship needs to be on the fluid side. Goals in the beginning should focus on how you build the relationship and take it from there.

I'm a big believer that meetings with a mentor should be out of the office - walking or over a meal. It helps get you past the hurdles of one position and really relate on a more personal level.

[lingeringwithcoffee]

All new teachers at my school have a mentor. For the first year, they have bi-monthly meetings, which is kinda just a casual, "How are things going? Do you need any help?"

The men-tee also has to observe their mentor and some seasoned teachers a few times during the school year. The mentor also observes the men-tee to give feedback on classroom instruction. Usually, a new teacher is paired with a seasoned teacher who teaches the same subject.

[librarychica]

Thanks, all. This person is in my field but not my company. We know of one another (we have read one another's papers, met at networking events briefly) but we aren't close or anything. We scheduled coffee. I think we will start with informal meetings. I plan on being upfront with him about the areas I hope to get feedback on and we will see how things go from there. If he worked in my more corporate environment the thing to do would be to set firm goals, etc, but we're librarians, not executives.

[judyblume14]

Good luck, @ librarychica ! I'd be interested to know how your first meeting goes. I've only been mentored (formally or informally) by someone within my company. It would be interesting to know how it goes with someone outside of you company whom you've not worked "for" before.

[jlaok]

librarychica, that sounds like a good plan. I would just take some time each time before you guys meet to think of some specific points that you want to talk to him about or get his opinion about. That way he can be more of a voice of guidance and not have to necessarily take the lead.