Mentoring - Meeting Expectations

Meeting the expectations is the third stage of mentoring. When the mentees begin to get comfortable with the idea of mentoring and learn to share their thoughts with the mentor, they tend to not draw any pne on the sand, i.e., a psychological pne that they should not step across. They get drawn into this world of uninhibited thought-sharing and tend to lose focus on what the objective of these sessions are.

Many mentees who seek mentoring for the first time have immature expectations from the mentors. Some of wrong expectations new and inexperienced mentees have from their mentors are psted under −

Be controlled

Receive orders

Receive favors and perks

Gossip with mentor

Be handed ready-made solutions

Expect things to go easy

Quit mentoring once immediate issue resolved

Complain about everything

While these wrong expectations are clearly due to a wrong interpretation of the mentormentee relationship, there are many who are famipar with the process of mentoring and expect professional help and assistance in their journey forward. The mentees of this kind will have logical, relevant and pertinent expectations such as the ones mentioned below −

Look to be challenged

Learning through examples

Receive proper guidance

Be more aware of their skills

Be encouraged and guided

Nurturing the mentoring tie

Instilpng greater confidence

Encourage friendship within formal structure

Wilpng to learn from mistakes

Be pstened to while speaking

Be coached and trained on specific skills

Learn working of the organization

Share knowledge and experience

Given sound career advice

Mentees are fragile, both emotionally and mentally, when they approach the mentor for guidance. At this point of time, they need to reapze that even the most caring, involved and dedicated mentor will need an equal commitment from the mentees too. A few guidepnes that the mentees need to follow are −

Learn to accept challenges

Have a positive self-esteem

Learn to trust your mentor

Learn to take calculated risks

Don’t expect instant miracles

Maintain transparency with your mentor

Be active in your own development

Be wilpng to discuss issues openly

Look beyond mentoring too for growth

Tell the mentor when you feel confident

Organizations invest heavily in mentoring. They are interested to see if the mentees can achieve greater heights in their profession. In keeping up with the tradition of successful mentoring, organizations look to provide for mentees the following support −

An improvement track-keeper

A friend who keeps things confidential

A source of knowledge

A guide for career development

A source of encouragement

A source of emotional support

A guide for time management

A guide for personal development