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PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS

DECISION

QUALITY

COORDINATION CONFLICT

MANAGEMENT

Dierdorff & Rubin, March 2015 HBR.ORG

High self-

awareness

teams

Low self-

awareness

teams

32%

68%

27%

73%

35%

65%

Take-Home Lesson

Assess

Apply

Assess yourself &

others accurately

Apply your

assessments

strategically

&

Main Lesson

Assess

Apply&

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National Research Mentoring Network

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Mentoring Action Plan 1

Navigating your Research Mentoring

Relationship for Mentees with a MAP:

Mentoring Action Plan

Steve Lee (stnlee@ucdavis.edu); DRAFT

Part A: Seven Core Principles of Effective Mentoring Relationships

1. Maintaining Effective Communication. Good communication is a key element of any relationship and a

mentoring relationship is no exception. It is critical that mentors and mentees seek to understand their own

and the other’s communication styles, and take time to practice communication skills.

a. Determine your mentor’s preferred medium of communication (face-to-face, phone, video, or email) and

acknowledge if it differs from your own personal preference.

b. Schedule a regular time to meet or check in with your mentor.

c. Keep track and share progress toward project and professional goals, both verbally and in writing.

d. Identify challenges and request your mentor’s advice/intervention when appropriate.

e. Prepare for meetings with your mentor by articulating specifically what you want to get out of the meeting

and how you will follow up after the meeting.

2. Aligning Expectations. Another key element of effective mentor-mentee relationships is a shared

understanding of what each person expects from the relationship. Problems and disappointment often arise

from misunderstandings about expectations. Importantly, expectations change over time, so reflection, clear

communication, and realignment of expectations are needed on a regular basis.

a. Ask your mentor for his or her expectations regarding

i. mentees at your stage of career generally.

ii. you as an individual scholar.

iii. the research project.

b. Share your own expectations and goals regarding

i. your career as a scholar and professional.

ii. the research project.

c. Ask your mentor about their primary priorities (e.g. upcoming proposal deadlines, seeking tenure and

promotion, teaching, family obligations, etc). Share about your own priorities (coursework, TA-ing, family

obligations, etc) also.

d. Ask others in the research group, who know your mentor better, about the mentor’s explicit and implicit

expectations.

e. Ask your mentor if they have developed a mentor-mentee compact. Not all mentors have developed a

compact, but some have developed something similar, e.g. an agreement, syllabus, etc.

f. Consider using the Questionnaire for Aligning Expectations in Research Mentoring Relationships in the

appendix, to help you understand your own expectations.

3. Assessing Understanding. Determining what you understand as well as if someone truly understands you is not

easy, yet is critical to a productive mentor-mentee relationship. Developing strategies to self-assess and assess

others’ understanding is an important part of being an effective mentor and mentee.

a. Ask questions when you do not understand something.

i. If you are afraid to ask your mentor directly, start by asking your peers.

Mentoring Action Plan 2

b. Talk and write about your project, asking peers and mentors who know the field for feedback.

c. Ask peers and mentors to share their perspectives on your work and its meaning in the context of the field

more broadly.

d. Explain your project to someone who is new to the field and help them to understand your project and its

significance.

4. Addressing Equity and Inclusion. Diversity along a range of dimensions offers both challenges and

opportunities to any relationship. Learning to identify, reflect upon, learn from, and engage with diverse

perspectives is critical to forming and maintaining an effective mentoring relationship.

a. Seek training and professional development activities to understand your own multiple aspects of identity,

and in working with diverse communities to build inclusive climates.

b. Be open to seeking out and valuing different perspectives.

c. Engage in honest conversation about individual differences with your mentor and co-workers.

d. Contribute positively to shared understandings and solutions to problems.

e. Talk to peers and mentors when you feel conflicted about the ways in which your personal identity

intersects with your academic identity.

5. Fostering Independence. An important goal in any mentoring relationship is helping the mentee become

independent; yet defining what an independent mentee knows and can do is not often articulated by either

the mentor or the mentee. Identifying milestones towards independence and setting goals are key strategies

to fostering independence in a mentoring relationship.

a. With your mentor, define what it takes to do independent work in your field.

b. Define a series of milestones to independence with your mentor and set goals for meeting these

milestones as part of your research plan.

c. Ask peers and mentors to share with you their strategies for achieving independence.

d. Anticipate how the mentoring relationship will evolve or progress as you advance.

6. Promoting Professional Development. The ultimate goal of most mentoring situations is to enable the mentee

to identify and achieve some academic and professional outcomes after the training period. It is the

responsibility of both the mentor and mentee to identify and articulate these goals and to strive towards them

together.

a. Create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to set goals and guide your professional development, using

resources such as Science Career’s myIDP website (http://myidp.sciencecareers.org).

b. Seek out and engage multiple mentors to help you achieve your professional goals.

c. Ask peers and mentors to discuss with you the fears and reservations you may have about pursuing a

certain career path.

d. Network to build relationships with key contacts at various institutions and conferences.

e. Seek professional development training and courses that occur at your institution, conferences, and online.

7. Cultivating Ethical Behavior. Mentors and mentees must engage in and model ethical behavior, while openly

discussing issues dealing with gray areas. Moreover, it can be important to acknowledge when a mentoring

relationship includes an unequal power dynamic and any additional ethical considerations it raises.

a. Take responsibility for your own behavior.

b. Seek out formal and informal ways to understand the accepted norms of practice in your field.

c. Learn about ethical issues associated with your work and proactively address them.

d. Learn about your university’s policies for dealing with unethical behavior.

Mento

ring Actio

n Plan 3

Creatin

g SMART Goals

Specific G

oal

Measurable

Assignable

Reasonable

Timely

What is the sp

ecific goal?

Keep

the goal sim

ple and

concrete.

How

will this go

al be

measured

or evalu

ated?

Not all go

als need to

be

measured

quantitatively?

How

will success b

e

determ

ined?

Who

will d

o each task? W

ill

tasks be d

elegated? D

o yo

u

need to

seek others fo

r

help?

How

will the go

al be

achieved? C

an you actu

ally

do this? W

hat resources o

r

peo

ple are need

ed? W

hat

are potential p

itfalls?

When d

oes each task need

to b

e done? W

hat is a

realistic timeline?

Example: im

pro

ve co

mm

unication w

ith my

mento

r by sharing a G

oogle

docum

ent as a record

of our

com

municatio

n and actio

n item

s

success will b

e determ

ined if

we no

tice that fewer actio

n item

s are dro

pped

, and so

that m

y mentor w

ill notice

that I am increasing in m

y resp

onsib

ilities, growing

pro

fessionally, and

able to

beco

me m

ore ind

epend

ent

I (the mentee) w

ill update

the meeting m

inutes and

action item

s during the

weekly m

eetings, and ask m

y m

entor to

check and give

feedback as need

ed

a shared G

oogle d

ocument

will b

e used to

create an agend

a with up

dates and

suggested

action item

s for our w

eekly meetings; I w

ill m

aintain a Google fold

er to sto

re the docum

ent and any

other files

a day b

efore our w

eekly m

eetings, I will insert

updates and

suggested

agenda item

s, and send

the link to

my m

entor; d

uring the m

eetings, I will exp

lain the up

dates and

suggest actio

n items

Questionnaire for Aligning Expectations in Research Mentoring Relationships

Mentor / Supervisor: Mentee / Student:

Time Period: Dept / Program:

For each pair of statements, determine your preference. For example with statement pair #1, if you believe the ideal mentoring relationship focuses on common research interests, select 1, 2, or 3. Or if you think the ideal relationship focuses on effective working and communication styles, select 4, 5, or 6. Avoid filling in “3.5” for your responses.

Early Stages of the Mentoring Relationship and Choosing Mentors/Mentees

1 In an ideal mentoring relationship, the mentor and mentee should have similar research interests

1 2 3 4 5 6 In an ideal mentoring relationship, both should have similar working and communication styles

2 In an ideal mentoring relationship, mentors should provide close supervision and guidance 1 2 3 4 5 6

In an ideal mentoring relationship, mentors should provide much freedom and independence for the mentees to explore and learn themselves

3 Mentors should only accept mentees when they have specific & deep knowledge of the mentee’s research topic

1 2 3 4 5 6 Mentors can provide overall guidance, and so should feel free to accept mentees from a broad range of disciplines

4 A personal and friendly relationship between mentor and mentee is important for a successful relationship 1 2 3 4 5 6

A professional relationship is advisable to maintain objectivity for both mentee and mentor during their work

5 The mentor is responsible for providing emotional support & encouragement to the mentee

1 2 3 4 5 6 Personal counselling and support are not the responsibility of the mentor

6 The mentor should play a significant role in deciding on the research focus for the mentee

1 2 3 4 5 6 The research focus should be selected by the mentee

7 When choosing research topics, I prefer to work on projects with potential for high payoffs, even if it involves high risk

1 2 3 4 5 6 When choosing research topics, I prefer to work on projects that have a strong & safe chance of success, even if the payoff is low

8 The mentor should decide how frequently to meet with the mentee

1 2 3 4 5 6 The mentee should decide when she/he wants to meet with the mentor

9 The mentor should provide the rules and guidelines for the program or dept to the mentee

1 2 3 4 5 6 It is the mentee’s responsibility to gather and learn the rules and guidelines of the program or dept

10 The mentor is responsible for finding funding until the mentee graduates or completes the program

1 2 3 4 5 6 Mentees are responsible for finding their own sources of funding

Middle Stages of the Mentoring Relationship

11 The mentor should be the primary guide for the mentee in their academic and professional goals

1 2 3 4 5 6 The mentee should gather multiple mentors as they work toward their academic and professional goals

12 The mentor should be the first place to turn when the mentee has problems with the research project 1 2 3 4 5 6

Mentees should try to resolve problems on their own, including seeking input from others, before bringing a research problem to the mentor

13 The mentor should check regularly that the mentee is working consistently and finishing tasks

1 2 3 4 5 6 The mentee should work independently and productively, and ask for help when needed

14 The mentor should develop an appropriate plan and timetable of research and study for the mentee 1 2 3 4 5 6

The mentee should develop their own plan and timetable of research and study, and seek input from the mentor only as needed

Advanced Stages of the Mentoring Relationship

14 The mentor should initiate the preparation of presentations, papers, and reports

1 2 3 4 5 6 Presentations, papers, and reports should be started with a first draft by the mentee

15 The mentor should insist on seeing all drafts of work (presentations, thesis, papers, etc) to ensure that the mentee is on the right track

1 2 3 4 5 6 Mentees should submit drafts of work (presentations, thesis, papers, etc) only when they want constructive criticism from the mentor

16 It’s the mentor’s responsibility to first explain about co-authorship early in the process

1 2 3 4 5 6 It’s the mentee’s responsibility to make sure there is mutual understanding about co-authorship

17 The mentor is responsible for providing career advice and professional connections to the mentee 1 2 3 4 5 6

Because professional options these days are numerous, mentees should seek career advice and connections from other sources

Using the “Questionnaire for Aligning Expectations in Research Mentoring Relationships” The Role of Expectations Managing expectations between mentors and mentees can be challenging and is a common source of conflict in mentoring relationships. Often the conflict relates to unspoken expectations that are not explicitly addressed, because they are assumed or even unaware to the mentor or mentee. To help bring some of these expectations into the open for discussion, using this questionnaire can help. This tool has been designed as a discussion starter for use by research mentors and student mentees. The goal of using this questionnaire is to provide a framework for a fruitful discussion about each person’s expectations, and how to decide on appropriate ongoing actions as the relationship develops. Participants are free to pick and choose which pairs of statements are relevant for their situation, and to even add statements or topics for discussion. Our experience suggests that the tool is especially effective when users of this form recognize that:

there are no “right” answers to the items on the questionnaire

responses are likely to be different at different stages of academic or professional progress, i.e. for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdocs, junior faculty, senior faculty, etc

even identical numerical responses can correspond to different rationales and expectations Signs of Misalignment If you detect that your mentoring relationship is strained or unhealthy, consider if you are experiencing some of these observable signs of misalignment (adapted from https://ictr.wisc.edu/mentoring/mentees-alignment-phase-resources/)

1. Mentor/mentee dreads attending mentor meetings and finds themselves avoiding the other. 2. Mentor/mentee does not find the time to meet as agreed upon. 3. Mentor/mentee does not respond to emails and tasks in a timely manner. 4. Mentee does not feel a sense of belonging within the professional culture. 5. Mentee’s work is successful, but movement toward independence is not being fostered by the mentor (e.g.

mentor does not publically advocate for mentee, provides opportunities for advancement, etc) 6. A sense of shared curiosity and collaborative teamwork is not present. 7. Mentor does most of the talking and direction-setting during mentoring meetings, and does not give the mentee

opportunities to speak up, ask questions, and contribute. Although the misalignment of expectations can often lead to conflict, the expectations do not need to be identical (and would be unrealistic) to develop a productive working relationship. However, a thorough discussion of expectations can greatly increase the likelihood of a productive collaboration and minimize conflicts. The mentor and mentee should also consider developing a compact to help frame a more structured relationship. Some examples of compacts and other resources are found here: https://ictr.wisc.edu/mentoring/mentoring-compactscontracts-examples/ Suggestions for Use: We suggest the following process for using this questionnaire.

make sure both parties have a blank copy of the questionnaire in advance, and fill it out separately

set up a meeting that will be focused on this questionnaire

at the start of the meeting, start by sharing your primary goals for the research mentoring relationship

then compare responses given for each statement by each person

discuss thoroughly the significance of each response (i.e. answer what each response means for each person)

provide suggestions on how you’ll address different responses and expectations

consider repeating the process at various points (e.g. once per year, during critical transitions of the mentee’s timeline, etc)

consider sharing your responses to the questionnaire with peers at your similar stage, so that you can compare how other people at your level respond to the statements

This document originated from Ingrid Moses (Centre for Learning & Teaching, University of Technology, Sydney), was adapted by Margaret Kiley & Kate Cadman (Advisory Centre for University Education at the University of Adelaide), and was further revised by Steve Lee (Graduate Diversity Officer for the STEM Disciplines at UC Davis; stnlee@ucdavis.edu) and Stephanie House (Co-director of the NRMN Master Facilitator’s Initiative at UW Madison; house2@wisc.edu).