How do you track your growth as a mentee?

1 Set SMART goals

One of the first steps to track your growth as a mentee is to set SMART goals for yourself and your mentoring relationship. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These criteria help you define what you want to accomplish, how you will measure your progress, whether your goals are realistic and attainable, how they align with your values and vision, and when you expect to achieve them. Setting SMART goals will help you clarify your expectations, communicate them to your mentor, and monitor your outcomes.

2 Keep a journal

Another way to track your growth as a mentee is to keep a journal where you can reflect on your mentoring sessions, your learning, your challenges, and your achievements. A journal can help you capture your insights, feelings, feedback, and action steps after each session. It can also help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) as a mentee. A journal can be a simple notebook, a digital document, or an online platform. The key is to write regularly and honestly, and review your entries periodically to see how far you have come.

3 Use a feedback system

A third method to track your growth as a mentee is to use a feedback system that allows you to collect and analyze data on your performance, behavior, and impact. A feedback system can be formal or informal, quantitative or qualitative, or a combination of both. For example, you can use surveys, questionnaires, ratings, scales, or tests to measure your skills, knowledge, attitudes, or outcomes. You can also use interviews, focus groups, testimonials, or stories to capture your experiences, perceptions, or impressions. A feedback system can help you evaluate your progress, identify your gaps, and celebrate your wins.

5 Seek external validation

A fifth strategy to track your growth as a mentee is to seek external validation from other sources besides your mentor. External validation can be from peers, colleagues, managers, clients, or other stakeholders who can provide you with different perspectives, opinions, or feedback on your performance, behavior, or impact. External validation can help you verify your progress, benchmark your standards, and improve your credibility. You can seek external validation by asking for feedback, requesting endorsements, applying for recognition, or participating in competitions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?