Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Share: Mary & Amy's Top 5 Tips on How to Be a Good Mentee/Mentor

Thanks to everyone for coming to the Mentoring Breakfast at Yahoo! this past Tuesday. We had a great turnout with 75 mentees/mentors in attendance!

Here are the top 5 tips on how to be a good mentee/mentor that Mary Riley and Amy Lam presented at the breakfast. Enjoy!

1) Set a goal: what do you want to get out of the mentoring relationship? What area(s) do you want to work on? Are you seeking more industry knowledge? Do you want to learn/refine a skill?

2) Listen: What is the person really saying? How does one's body language emphasize their thoughts and ideas?

3) Be honest & open: The more honest and open you are, the more information the other person has to understand you, your point or your situation. Be honest with yourself. Have you been faced with a certain challenge time and time again because you are afraid to pursue a certain action?

4) Give feedback: Especially for mentees, are your mentors' suggestions helpful? What happened when you took action? How are you learning from your mentoring experience?

5) Know that you are not alone: The Mentoring Committee is here to help you. Each pair is assigned to a committee representative that is there to make sure things are going smoothly. Mentees can reach out to the Young Executives committee. There are great resources available.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really loved Lyle's speech in renaming the mentoring program the "Yes-Yes Sisterhood." Would she be willing to post?

Mary said...

Also- remember to bring a notebook to jot down key points that you and your mentor discuss when you meet!