What Makes A Good Mentee?

A mentee must, of course, be prepared to take feedback. But to get the greatest possible benefit from a business mentoring relationship, there are several other things a mentee must do.

• Be Punctual and commit

The coach or mentor will undoubtedly be a busy person and maximising your time together is important, so try to arrive 10 minutes early to allow for you to get into the correct state of mind and prepare.

• Own the business mentoring relationship

First and foremost, the mentee must own and take responsibility for the business mentoring relationship. Owning their career is an important principle of career development. No one has more interest in, or more to gain from, the progression of the mentee’s career than the mentee.

• Be proactive in the business mentoring relationship

This means taking the initiative and setting the pace – with the agreement of the mentor. The mentee must look at the business mentoring process as a project they are managing as with any project, they should set milestones and make sure that they are achieved.

• Manage the business mentoring agenda

The mentee, not the mentor, should define the agenda of the business mentoring programme. If the mentee does not work out what it is they want to do, they are in effect handing it over to others to determine their direction.

• Set objectives for the business mentoring programme

It is essential for the mentee to:

– set himself or herself some objectives to work on during the mentoring relationship

– discuss these objectives with the business mentor and obtain their agreement

– write the objectives down and give the mentor a copy

– review these objectives regularly with the mentor.

• Progress actions

The mentee also needs to make the business mentoring programme action-oriented, and always follow through on those actions they agreed. It is reasonable to expect that the business mentor will do the same.