The American Statistician ISSN: 0003-1305 (Print) 1537-2731 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utas20 What is Mentoring? Aarti Shah To cite this article: Aarti Shah (2017) What is Mentoring?, The American Statistician, 71:1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/00031305.2016.1269686 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2016.1269686 Published online: 20 Mar 2017. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 1360 View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 2 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=utas20 THE AMERICAN STATISTICIAN , VOL. , NO. , – http://dx.doi.org/./.. SPECIAL SECTION ON MENTORING What is Mentoring? Aarti Shah Immunology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY What is mentoring? Is it just a buzz word or is this really valuable? How can mentoring help one to grow and advance personally and professionally? How and where does one even begin? Many of us have these questions. In this article, I will share my perspective and provide some reflections on these questions based on my own personal and professional journey. Received March Revised December I am extremely fortunate and blessed to have had superb mentors over the past two decades who taught me a tremendous amount. In this article, I have tried my best to share my story based on my experiences and reflections as a mentee. Coming from India to the United States for higher education and then deciding to work in corporate America was not an easy undertaking. I would have been completely lost without my mentors and owe a lot of my success to the many things I have learned from them. Over the years, as I took on roles with greater responsibilities, I actually have leaned on my mentors more and more. KEYWORDS Career; Mentoring; Mentors; Personal experience important to have a discussion and understanding what your (mentee’s) goals and objectives are, what is on your “to learn” list, and how the learning will be monitored and evaluated. Additionally, if both parties are able to freely express honest opinions about strengths and especially about weaknesses or any concerns, the learning will be greatly enhanced. The mentee should feel very comfortable sharing any of their fears, failures, mistakes, and limitations. Confidentiality both ways is the key to build a successful and trustworthy mentoring relationship Finding the Right Mentor What is Mentoring? The American dictionary defines mentor as “a trusted advisor.” That is a good start, but I define it as more than that: “It’s a relationship in which one person (the mentor) facilitates the development of another (the mentee) by sharing his or her knowledge, experiences, network, etc., and customizes it to the needs of the mentee.” It provides the mentor a unique opportunity to contribute to someone’s development and help them realize their full potential. This definition contains several key words and thoughts that are important to understand the true meaning of mentoring. Mentoring is a Trusted Relationship that Gets Built Over Time The mentoring relationship is based on mutual respect. The relationship grows as trust grows and with time the bond becomes stronger. It is up to you to make most of the mentoring relationship. One should leverage their mentors in all situations—whether it is about career mapping and future planning, learning the system of a new job or institution, or just needing a safe place to vent. Many people have asked me what it takes to build a healthy mentor–mentee relationship from the beginning. When you are getting started, it is immensely CONTACT Aarti Shah aarti@lilly.com © American Statistical Association This is the most critical step. You need to feel the chemistry with your mentor. Identify mentors that you respect and see as role models—people who know and understand your values and ethics, who may have worked with you, and know of your strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, seek a mentor who genuinely cares for you, one who you trust and one who is interested in helping you to become successful. It is often helpful to have both a male and female mentor, because it provides diverse perspectives. Please do not find a mentor by their titles or position …..because that simply will not work. The character attributes of a mentor are significantly more important than a title. Getting started could be hard, but here are some tips: r Talk to your colleagues and supervisors and seek their help and identify potential mentors r Talk to a few of them about what you are looking for, share your objectives and goals, what do you hope to gain, share your background and have the potential mentors share a bit about themselves and then decide r Ask their thoughts on mentoring and if they have any specific objectives r Decide how often you will meet and how (discuss any challenges with work schedules or if unable to do face-to-face meetings). Leverage technology. SVP and Chief Information Officer, Immunology, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN . 2 A. SHAH r Some mentoring relationships can be for a specific objec- How Did my Mentors Help Me? tive and can be for a short term They instilled an abundance of confidence and courage in me r Share any concerns you have about getting started. r All good things come to an end. Determine the potential (and believe me, we all need this at various points throughreasons and methods for ending the relationship. Check progress. Mentoring Involves Sharing and Learning for both Parties Sharing involves freely giving thoughts, opinions, and ideas both ways. There are so many golden nuggets when a mentor shares their personal experiences. We all see the successes of leaders, but seldom know of the challenges and hurdles behind those successes. When a mentor shares their challenging experiences so that the mentee does not make the same mistakes or go through similar negative experiences, it is so profound and humbling. Mentoring is an investment of time from both parties, which is why both need to feel that it is a valued relationship. out our career). They encouraged me to be who I am and not do things to just “fit in.” They corrected me when I made mistakes, lifted me up when they saw me losing my confidence, and most importantly were always there when I needed them. They taught me how to survive in this very demanding world balancing the many roles that we play, in the workplace, in our communities and at home. They encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone, branch out, and take challenging assignments. At times, they had more confidence in me and my abilities than I had in myself. Even today, after being in the workforce for 22 years, I do not make a decision about taking a new assignment or role without talking to my mentors. I hope by sharing these experiences with you, it encourages you to seek out a mentor for yourself. It is a time investment from both ends, but what you will gain is priceless.