Mentoring 2.0: Exploring Challenges in the Mentor-Mentee Relationship

1. Mentoring 2.0: Exploring Challenges in the Mentor-Mentee Relationship Sonya Borrero, MD, MS Michael J. Fine, MD, MSc February 9, 2018

2. Goals • Review roles and actions of effective mentors • Describe mentoring in the context of adult psychological development • Describe 4 mentoring archetypes • Discuss challenges in the mentor-mentee relationship

3. Importance of Mentoring • Mentoring is recognized as a catalyst for career success in numerous professions, including medicine • In academic medicine, mentoring is reported to have an important influence on personal development, career guidance, and research productivity (publications and grants)

4. Basic Elements of the TraditionalMentor-Protégé Relationship • Ultimate outcomes are achievement and acquisition of knowledge • Consists of multiple functions in 2 key dimensions (career development and psychological) • Is reciprocal, sustained, and personal • Emphasizes mentor’s greater experience, influence and achievement in an organization

5. Kram’s Functional Roles of Mentors

6. Actions of Effective Mentors • Allow open discussion of emotions, feelings, and vulnerabilities • Provide moral support • Address issues of personal-professional balance • Foster self-reflection and self-evaluation • Help with vision-building and goal setting • Serve as role models • Facilitate skill development Sambunjak et al. J Gen Intern Med, 2009

7. Actions of Effective Mentors (continued) • Guide achievement of career milestones • Expand engagement in key professional activities • Help navigation of the institution • Promote connections and networking • Provide protection and advocacy Sambunjak et al. J Gen Intern Med, 2009

8. Ideal Qualities of Outstanding Mentors • Exhibit admirable personal and professional qualities (e.g., selflessness, collaborative) • Act as career guides, offering a vision while tailoring support to each mentee • Make strong time commitments, with frequent and regular high-quality meetings • Support personal-professional balance • Establish a legacy of how to be a good mentor through role modeling and establishing policies that set institutional standards for mentoring Cho et al. Am J Med, 2011

9. Basic Stages and Tasks of Career Organization

10. Role of the Mentor-Protégé Relationship in Adult Development • Levinson identified the formation of a mentor-protégé relationship as one of 4 important tasks in adult development • Features of the relationship: • mentor typically 8-15 years older than protégé • successful individuals typically have 1-4 mentors • average duration = 3-4 years (range 2-11 years) • relationship usually ends by age 40 of the protégé • There is a characteristic end to the mentor –protégé relationship

11. Phases of the Mentor-Protégé Relationship

12. Four Mentor Archetypes in Academic Medicine • Traditional mentor • Coach • Sponsor • Connector Chopra et al. JAMA, 2018

13. Four Mentor Archetypes in Academic Medicine • Although the traditional mentoring relationship is vital, success requires input from all four archetypes • Knowing that these archetypes exist and advising trainees and junior faculty to seek them leads to success in academic medicine • Put simply, the mentor guides, the coach improves, the sponsor nominates, and the connector empowers, but always the mentee benefits

14. Mentoring Challenges for Discussion • What is the best approach to identifying a mentor at a new institution? • How does the mentoring relationship change when transitioning from fellow to faculty? • Should the relationship be continued? • How should goals/expectations be renegotiated? • What are the pro’s/con’s of having your boss as a mentor? • Other?