Mentoring: What Makes Successful Mentors and Protégés?

Dennis L. MolfeseDepartment of Psychology

Victoria J. MolfeseChild, Youth and Family Studies

Mentoring Questions From Noah

What is good mentorship and what does that mean?What should both parties commit to for success? How do the Mentor and Protégé gain maximum utility of the relationship? How do we reconcile differing work styles?

What difference do teachers make?

Charles Schultz Philosophy(Cheatham,2008) Test #1

• Name the world’s five wealthiest people.• Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.• Name the last five Miss America contest winners.• Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer

prize.• Name the last 6 Academy Award winners for best

actor and actress.Test #2• List a few teachers who aided your journey through

school.• Name three friends who have helped you through a

difficult time.• Think of a few people who have made you feel

appreciated.• Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.• Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have

inspired you.

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are the ones you knew cared about you.

How do role models, teachers & mentors differ?(Cheatham, 2008)

Role Model Teacher MentorAn ideal to

which one can aspire

Transmit knowledge

Guide a protégé to learn

attitudes and difficult skillsCharacteristics:

Moral/ethicalCourageVisionEnergy

Often famous/well-

known (at least within the

community)

Characteristics:Empathy

The ability to “engage”Subject matter expert

Selflessness

Often quite anonymous

Characteristics:Moral/ethical

EmpathyHonesty

Selflessness

Variable recognition

within/outside the community

What is good mentorship?

Understanding that Mentors and Protégés are working as a team

They are on the same sideThey are working toward the same goalsThey encounter the same challenges and

successes

So – What’s different?The Mentor is further along the pathThe Protégé is seeking guidance

Good Mentoring Behaviors

Meet with the Protégé regularlyHelp the Protégé identify GOALS

Discuss how to set clear objectives to meet those goalsAdjust meeting intervals as necessary

Discuss with the Protégé strategies for research, teaching, service activitiesIntroduce the Protégé to others at meetings (on campus, professional meeting, when talking to colleagues)

Encourage the Protégé to follow up introductions with email to colleagues

What Is Good Mentorship?

Both members of the team understanding that each can learn from the other.

There were statistics invented after we mentors left graduate school and the Protégés have learned those statistics!

There are new methods, measures, data acquistion devices, and lots of published literature - Protégé have often been exposed to those new things! Protégés have creative energy, aspirations, and terrible sleep habits all of which can produce lots of output. We Mentors need those newbies!!

Common Mentoring Topics

1. The activities faculty should be engaged in. Teaching (courses, advising, and supervising students),

Research (engaged in active scholarly work, writing manuscripts and grants, presenting at conferences), Service (department, college and university committees, professional organizations, community agencies, etc.) 2. Understanding why one should engage in these activities:

Promotion and Tenure, compensation, reputation, personal satisfaction (this is your career), etc.

Manuscript and grant reviewing can strengthens knowledge of successful writing and enable the Protégé to be known to decision makers in the field.

Service to the community gives back to our neighbors and tax payers who fund our salaries, and insights come through being active

Common Mentoring Topics

3. Understanding what activities to limit or avoidActivities that do not fit our work plan (too

much service, extra teaching responsibilities that takes time from research, etc.), repeated activities that are not growth experiences, work that does not target a professional purpose (teaching, research, service) 4. Understanding time management

Use all writing for multiple tasks (sections of grant applications and posters yield manuscripts, review papers flow from scholarly work in course preparation, etc.)

Concentrate on results, not on being busy; set aside time just for you to get organized each day

Common Mentoring Topics

5. Discuss strategies for multi-taskingWork on different tasks over dayPlan some tasks while executing others while writing yet others Keep a “to do” list and check off items as completed Do mindless tasks when numb at end of day and mentally taxing tasks for in the morning Check E-mail ONLY twice/day (noon, night).

Discuss RealitiesResponsibilities will vary across your career: Graduate Student to Post-Doc to new Assistant Professor to Associate Professor to Full Professor Responsibilities vary across the life cycle: single, married, family with young children, family with older children, family with teenagers…..Responsibilities vary with your employer: course load, research and service expectations, joining the Big Ten!Balancing responsibilities – you CAN do it all !!!

QUESTIONS ???

dlmolfese@mac.comvmolfese2@unl.edu