When the term "mentoring" gets tossed around, you probably get images in your head of someone older passing on hard-earned wisdom to someone younger, maybe Yoda teaching Luke Skywalker how to use the Force, or a kindly Atticus Finch encouraging Scout to do what's right.
Both of these are indeed common mentoring roles, time-tested and workable. However, all fiction aside, what if your organization has decided to roll out a mentoring program and you find that you're going to be a mentor for someone else? What does that mean, exactly? What role can you expect to play in relation to your learning partner? See, that's actually a trick question. The fact is, you can expect to play different roles at different times. Here's a list of possible hats and what it might mean to wear them:
Counselor
Listen and empathize to provide emotional support.
Use paraphrasing to encourage reflection and thinking out loud.
Promote exploration and discovery.
"You've thought about this a lot. Sounds like that experience was confusing because… Which of these options is important to you?"
Advisor
Question your learning partner's thinking without judgment.
Allow your learning partner to generate solutions.
Highlight potential choices. Share personal examples
"You've tried two different things: First you_______, then you_______." "What do you think would have made it work better?" "Did you ever think about…?"
Collaborator
Brainstorm cause-and-effect relationships, ideas and plans.
Problem-solve while learning together.
"Let's think about how this could be tackled." Coach
Focus on actions that will achieve the learning partner's goals.
Assess existing skills and develop new skills.
Present issues and concerns.
Move your learning partner to a higher level.
"This could get in the way of…" "If you tried_______, what do you think would happen?" "How are you going to deal with…?"
Guide
Help organize and apply experiences and learning.
Direct your learning partner toward resources.
Make introductions and highlight opportunities.
"You've thought of many options. Which seems most reasonable to you?" "Have you talked to…?" "I'll set up a meeting with_____ so you can explore that."
It's important to remember that the role you're playing is dynamic; it may change even within the same day. Your goal is to be sensitive to current progress of your learning partner; try to meet on common ground, in the current context. Listen to the language they're using and pay attention to body language. With some practice, you'll start to notice whether they want advice or collaboration, guidance or coaching.
Lastly, mentoring doesn't necessarily come easily to everyone. Even if you have a fair amount of knowledge and experience, you may never have had the opportunity to formally share it before. It doesn't hurt to ask yourself some questions at the beginning of the process in relation to the different roles listed above, such as "Which role are you most comfortable with?" or "Which role will be a challenge for you?" Ask yourself why you answered the way you did, and think about how you might face potential difficulties. Even Yoda had his doubts, but, in the end, look at the heights reached by his learning partner!
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