Table 2.
Actions of a Good Mentor
| Dimensiona | Area | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Emotions | Expressing emotions and sharing feelings honestly29 |
| Helping mentee to clarify feelings29 | ||
| Permitting vulnerability29 | ||
| Encouraging discussion of the personal meaning of the topic or experience29 | ||
| Moral support | Giving moral support to help mentee cope with the stresses24 | |
| Helping build motivation25,29 | ||
| Private-professional issues | Tracking personal issues of the mentee, making links over time29 | |
| Helping mentee with balancing and coping with career demands and personal responsibilities27,31 | ||
| Self-awareness | Giving positive feedback and constructive criticism25 | |
| Uncovering mentee's underlying assumptions through careful probing29 | ||
| Helping mentee to identify areas for further performance improvement29 | ||
| Guiding mentee in decision-making (or facilitating decision-making)31 | ||
| Fostering self-reflection29 | ||
| Vision-building and goal-setting | Appreciating the mentee's abilities, goals and interests24 | |
| Enabling mentee to remain open-minded about possible career paths by supporting their interests while also promoting flexibility24 | ||
| Helping mentee to articulate vision for his/her future24 | ||
| Helping mentee to clarify his/her goals29 | ||
| Recognizing the potential of the mentee and envisioning possibilities25 | ||
| Engendering a sense of possibility and wonder while encouraging the mentees to reach to their highest potentials25 | ||
| Encouraging higher-order goals beyond mentee's initial conception29 | ||
| Challenging mentee to expand his/her goals29 | ||
| Role modeling | Being a role-model for good mentorship31 | |
| Skill development | Helping mentee to analyze data28 and prepare31 manuscripts and presentations | |
| Expanding engagement | Inviting mentee to participate in new projects28 | |
| Career monitoring | Advising on career progress, including achievement of appropriate career milestones and time management31 | |
| Grant review31 | ||
| Navigating the institution | Teaching mentee to promote themselves25 | |
| Teaching mentee “the rules of the game” of academic politics and networking25 | ||
| Providing guidance on 'navigating university bureaucracy' and dealing with difficult situations31 | ||
| Providing information29 | ||
| Connections and networking | Provides resources (references to others, secretarial support)29 | |
| Helping mentee gain access to otherwise closed academic circles25 | ||
| Helping mentee establish connections with potential research collaborators31 | ||
| Providing networking opportunities31 | ||
| Institutional | Protection and advocacy | Promoting mentee in the department and in the academic community at large while protecting him/her from the sometimes harsh interactions in academe25 |
| Advocating for the mentee25 |
aLevel of intimacy in the relationship decreases from the “Personal” to “Institutional” side