Mentoring Meeting Basics

The following outline has been designed to facilitate the mentoring process between new faculty mentors and mentees. Faculty mentors can use this as a starting point for working with their mentees and focusing the mentoring discussion.

In your first meeting together:

1. Decide how often you will meet and where – put these on your calendar and do your best to commit to the schedule. Faculty just starting out may need more time and attention, so meeting every other week or monthly may be appropriate. As faculty learn more about the institution and meet other faculty, they may need less time and the schedule should be adjusted accordingly.

2. Outline your general expectations of the relationship and discuss any preferences you have regarding communication. Is it ok if the mentee emails you with questions as they arise? Would you like to know what issues the mentee wants to discuss at your regular meetings prior to the meeting? Is it ok to call you on your cell phone? Set expectations and boundaries up front.

3. Review the mentee’s completed Individual Development Plan. Be sure it aligns with the promotion criteria for your mentee’s rank and track, which can be found online at the Faculty Academic Affairs website. The majority of your mentee’s time should be dedicated to activities that are considered for promotion and/or tenure. Help guide your mentee in prioritizing his or her academic efforts. The IDP should be updated and reviewed regularly.

Faculty Affairs Promotion and Tenure Guidelines website: http://www.med.umn.edu/medical-school-faculty/faculty-affairs/promotion-and- tenure/index.htm

In the first 12 – 18 months of a new faculty career, it is important that faculty focus on four things:

1) Defining their niche in research or educational scholarship 2) Building their professional network, within their institution and within the professional community 3) Developing the skills necessary to succeed in academia (that aren’t taught in school) 4) Maintaining a realistic work/life balance

Continue on to pages 2-3 for additional detail in these four areas.

1 Suggested Questions and Topics for Discussion

Defining their niche in research or educational scholarship:

 Has the mentee identified a particular area in which he or she would like to specialize? If so, how well covered this area in the literature?  Is this area already dominated by big names in the field? If so, is there a particular sub-area that the mentee may be able to claim as his or her own?  If no particular area has already been identified, what projects can be developed to explore two or three different areas? What is the mentee most interested in?  Will the mentee be able to develop a line of research or educational scholarship that will lead to scholarly independence from the Chair or mentor?

Building their Professional Network

 What can the mentor do to help introduce the mentee to faculty in the department, in the institution, and outside the institution? Who in the field do you know that you can introduce your mentee to?  What can the mentee do to follow up on introductions made?  Is the mentee aware of the various committees at the U of MN Medical School? The mentor may want to recommend some committees for the mentee to join that will offer the best opportunity to gain particular knowledge and/or build a strong network.  Can the mentor offer the mentee opportunities to review others’ manuscripts or grant applications? This is a great way to increase the mentee’s visibility and provide experience reading others’ submissions.  What professional associations and national meetings should the mentee be active in? These are both good opportunities to build a network and become known in the field.  Is the mentor in a position to help the mentee get invited to give talks at other institutions? This is important for promotion consideration, so any opportunities you can create will help your mentee fulfill this requirement.

2 Developing Professional Skills

 Go through a skills assessment with your mentee to identify areas in which he or she needs more development.  Is your mentee aware of the various learning opportunities available through your department, the Office of Faculty Affairs, other administrative departments, or U of MN programs? As appropriate, recommend that your mentee take the time to attend seminars, workshops, and other relevant offerings at the U of MN or outside the university.  Has your mentee had manuscripts published or had grant applications funded? If you feel the mentee may need some assistance, recommend that he or she work with a skilled editor or writing consultant early on. Developing writing strategies can be critical to academic success.  Again, serving on committees is a great way for new and junior faculty to “learn the ropes” and better understand what is expected of them in certain areas. Review the committee options and see if there are any that stand out as particularly suited for your mentee. In doing so, however, be sure to protect your mentee from becoming overly involved in service activities, which could interfere with research and other activities essential for promotion.

Maintaining Work/Life Balance

 Academic careers are very demanding, but encourage your mentee to pay attention to personal relationships and not to neglect those closest to him or her. A fulfilling personal life can help cushion faculty from the ups and downs of academia. Papers will be rejected and grants will not be funded, but this should be kept in perspective as much as possible. If academia is not the mentee’s sole focus, these rejections will not be overwhelmingly devastating early in a career.  Share your strategies for coping with the demands of an academic career. If your lifestyle is markedly different from that of your mentee (i.e., marriage, children, aging parents, culture), consider introducing him or her to other faculty who may have more similar concerns and who may be able to offer advice on juggling multiple priorities.

If your mentoring relationship has been assigned and you are the mentee’s first mentor, understand that it’s very likely that your mentee will eventually move on to work with other mentors. It is very common that as faculty develop in their careers, their needs and priorities change and they may need to find other faculty to fulfill certain needs. Or they may just “click” better with another mentor. It is your primary role to help your mentee understand what is expected of them in a faculty position, help them focus on activities that are crucial for their promotion, and socialize them to the institution. This does not necessitate a close personal relationship, although generally when that develops it is of great benefit for both parties and the relationship lasts much longer.