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How to Be a Good Mentee: Top 7 Tips For Super-Mentees

Dixita
March 2, 2021
Photo by
Iryna Korshak

In order to attain the aspirational career goals brewing in your mind, you’ll need a little help. Specifically from a mentor. While it takes two to tango in a mentor-mentee relationship, here are some tips on how to a good mentee when pursuing a mentorship.

Also, be sure to check out our coaching skill guide. We give the rundown of how to build up your skills, introduce you to some pretty notable coaches, and the do’s and don’ts of coaching.

🙊 Ask questions

Mentorships are only effective if the mentee is receptive to learning and come prepared with questions. Whether it’s an open-ended, follow-up, or even close-ended questions, just ask. Also, yours questions don’t have to be career-focused, your mentor is there to provide you advice on personal aspects to life.

⭕️ Sustain the feedback loop

If you want to improve your skills overall, being open to feedback is a must. That means consistently asking your mentor for feedback because they are the ones that can uncover your blind spots and offer ways to improve your professional skills. But don’t forget, this is a two-way street. Provide your mentor feedback too and be candid on ways they can improve in this mentorship.

🧽 Absorb like a sponge

Take this mentorship as an opportunity to learn as much as you can. Jot down notes, ask your mentor about their career successes and failures, share your roadblocks, and seek solutions to better yourself and the relationship. When you show that eagerness to learn, this will lead your mentor invest more time and energy into your growth.

🤝 Tend to the trust

Just like any relationship in life, there’s a level of trust that needs to be built up. It takes time for trust to be cultivated between your and your mentor. In order to be a good mentee, trust starts with open communication, sticking to your word, displaying excitement, being punctually, and showing mutual respect. Remember, successful mentorships don’t grow overnight.

⏳ Respect your mentor’s time

Your mentor is a volunteer. They aren’t being paid for this position and they have their own busy schedule. It’s important to be conscious of their time at all times. If you have weekly meetings, be there on time. Come to each meeting with a prepared agenda and questions ready to-go. Also, if you need to cancel a meeting, provide plenty of notice before rescheduling your meeting.  

💛 Show gratitude and appreciation

We touched on this one in the previous points, but make sure you give thanks where needed. Whether it’s before or after a meeting, in a text, or in an email, saying “thank you” can go a long way. Simply showing your gratitude (and we mean genuinely) makes your mentor feel appreciated.

🤩 Be authentically yourself

Last but not least, be yourself. Your mentor has taken time to get to YOU and invest their time into YOU. Part of being a good mentee is showing all sides of yourself. A mentorship isn’t meant for judgement.

Food for thought

There’s no such thing as the perfect mentee, but there are ways to strive to become the best mentee you can be. At the end of the day, you get what you put out in the world. If you really want to achieve your career goals and become the best version of yourself, then start with cultivating a mentorship relationship that will transcend beyond your wildest goals.

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