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How to Build a Relationship with Your Mentor

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Time you spend building rapport with your mentor will pay you back with deeper conversations and more meaningful mentoring. 

Here are the key components you need to build the relationship -

1. Confidentiality is the cornerstone of a mentoring relationship and essential for both you and your mentor.
Do not discuss anything your mentor shares with you outside of your meeting unless you get permission to do so. You can write private messages by going into a current Mentorship and clicking on the Messages tab – other mentors and mentees can’t see these interactions.

2. Building rapport and trust are essential. Here are some ways you can build trust:

  • Spend the first meeting getting to know each other. Don’t dive into problems and solutions too soon. 
  • Live up to your commitments. Keep track of your goals, tasks and notes in the Mentoring Relationship.
  • Be prepared to be vulnerable. Your mentor is not there to judge you.
  • Ask for and be open to frank feedback even when it’s uncomfortable to hear. 

3. Good communication skills support strong mentoring relationships. 

Sync your calendars so it’s easier to schedule meetings and avoid conflicts. Simply go to “Settings”, then click on “General Preferences” and “Connect Calendar” to connect with your desired calendar account.

It is also important to be conscious of how you’re communicating with your mentor, both verbally and non-verbally.

  • Maintain an open and relaxed posture. Turn your body towards your mentor.
  • Make eye contact if it is culturally acceptable.
  • Nod or make small affirmations to show you are actively listening. 
  • Ask questions. 

Maintaining confidentiality, building rapport and using effective interpersonal communication skills will help you build a strong relationship with your mentor so both of you benefit from the experience. 

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How to End the Mentoring Journey With Your Mentee

Your mentee’s mentoring journey will eventually come to an end.
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Your mentee’s mentoring  journey will eventually come to an end, based on the duration set on the MentorCloud platform. Ending it thoughtfully will ensure it’s perceived as successful, and both partners can feel positive about the experience. 

You and your mentee will have acknowledged that your next meeting will be your last. Here are some tips to successfully ending a mentoring journey -

1. Prepare for your final meeting

  • Set aside some time to reflect. Did the journey meet your expectations? What would you do differently? What did you most and least enjoy? Would you do it again? 
  • Go through the goals your mentee set at the beginning. Were they achieved? Why or why not?
  • What would you like to discuss and what advice would you like to offer during your final meeting? 
  • What would you want to acknowledge and thank your mentee for? 

2. Your final meeting

  • This is a time to celebrate your journey together. If possible, make your final meeting special by choosing a different place to meet, such as meeting for lunch in a nice restaurant. You can choose a location to meet and enter it under Sessions by selecting Physical Location and add the address within the Location details text box.
  • Reflect on what has been achieved so far and celebrate your successes. Reflect on where your mentee started and how far they’ve come.
  • If some goals have not been achieved, discuss how they can be addressed going forward.

3. What’s next?

  • The formal mentoring journey has ended, but maybe you’d like to remain in contact. If so, discuss how you can stay in touch. 
  • Appreciate each other and sincerely thank your mentee.

Don’t let your mentoring journey fizzle out without concluding it with an organized final meeting. When a mentoring journey ends well it increases the overall success of the experience.