Mentoring is an essential part of any successful organization, especially at academic institutions. It plays a key role in developing a pipeline of leaders and in supporting the professional success of our racially and ethnically underrepresented faculty and staff. It also helps you gain fresh perspectives and ideas.
Like many of you, I’ve benefited from a collection of talented mentors throughout my career. They have guided me professionally by sharing their knowledge, experience and wisdom. My list of mentors continues growing and evolving even today as I continue my own professional growth. As director of the Healthforce Center at UCSF, I value mentoring leaders, so in return, they can be effective mentors for others in the academic community.
Academia is an excellent place to find mentors, but all too often mentoring is a lesser priority as we juggle competing demands and, at times, burnout. But being a mentor can be energizing and offset work exhaustion by fostering new relationships and connections. Becoming a mentor is valuable for your own professional advancement, including your own promotions, and there are opportunities to be recognized on campus and externally for your valuable contributions.
In honor of January being National Mentoring Month, here are four tips for successful mentorship in the new year.
- Find more than one mentor. It’s impossible for one person to fulfill all your mentoring needs. Seek mentors who have specific insights into an area that you need help with. One mentor might be good at public speaking, while another might have a talent for executing high-stakes projects or new scholarly directions. By diversifying your mentors, you can proactively ensure that your mentors don’t feel overwhelmed by your needs. And don’t forget to turn to your peers for mentoring opportunities, too.
- Tailor your mentorships to fit you. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to finding or being a mentor. When you find a potential mentor, approach them clearly and ask for their help. Describe why you want them as a mentor, define your ask of them, and if you can, what you expect the time commitment to be. Both parties will benefit from explicitly talking about what you expect from each other.
- Effective mentoring is leading. If you’re further into your career, you’re likely in a position to lead or influence. You have the experience needed to identify people’s strengths and connect them with opportunities for collaboration and advancement. Your sponsorship can give mentees the tools and connections to grow and solve problems for the organization. And, mentoring improves professional satisfaction for mentors.
- Get your tools in place. Many organizations have tools available to help with mentoring or being mentored. At UCSF, there are various mentorship programs to support faculty, staff and learners: https://learning.ucsf.edu/mentorship-programs.
– Sunita Mutha, MD, FACP, director of the UCSF Healthforce Center, associate dean for academic affairs at UCSF School of Dentistry, and professor at UCSF School of Medicine
