Three Ways to Make the Most of Mentoring Relationships

By Tanya Wheeler-Berliner

American lawyer, author, and orator Robert Ingersol famously said, “We rise by lifting others.” At Coforma, we not only value this sentiment, we put it into practice. As a company, we’ve been fortunate to be mentored by other like-minded businesses. We are currently in a formal mentor-protege relationship with Fearless , another 8(a) company, facilitated through the Small Business Administration. Through it, Coforma is gaining invaluable insight, receiving support to navigate business complexities, increasing partnerships, and building specific individuals’ skills and knowledge. We also benefited from a previous mentor-protege relationship with Halfaker, another SDVOSB.??

In the same way that our company participates in these mentorships, many of our Cofolx serve as mentors to each other—in formal and informal ways—and to others in their industries. Individual mentorships have the ability to provide many of the same benefits, but outside of formal programs, it can be difficult to determine how to make the most of these intentional relationships. Below are reflections from a few Cofolx on how to maximize the return on investment for both mentees and mentors.?

1. Define Your Mentorship Needs and Goals

Together Software, a mentorship facilitation platform, suggests that there are eight different types of mentors : the advisor, the protector, the coach, the connection broker, the challenger, the clarifier, the sponsor, and the affirmer. While the names and specific details of the descriptions can be debated, one point is clear: at different times in your career, you might want a mentor for different reasons or find that you yourself are serving in different types of mentoring roles.?

Related to the specific roles a mentor might play are the goals both the mentor and mentee have for the mentoring relationship. James Hobbs , a Principal Product Designer, shares the following about a frustrating mentorship experience from years ago: “As a mentor, I didn’t have any specific goals for the type of experience and lessons I wanted to pass on, but more importantly, I didn't know what I wanted to gain from the experience either. I assumed the mentee would have goals they wanted to achieve. They didn’t.”?

“The biggest lesson I learned was that being a mentor isn’t just being the person with more professional experience(s) to share—it’s a growth opportunity for both the mentor and the mentee. Without any goals, neither of us are going to grow,” Hobbs says.

Dan Miller , a Director of Product Engineering, agrees. “At the beginning of your mentorship, work together to map out what success looks like for both of you, defining goals, expectations, and warning signs that you might be headed off track,” Miller says. He also recommends setting a timeframe for the initial mentorship, so that goals can be met and the engagement evaluated at predetermined periods of time. Then neither side feels like they are signing up for an indefinite commitment.?

Frances Yllana , a Senior Manager of Design Operations, wrote about her experience developing a mentoring program on Medium , and has provided a list of activities you can work through if you’re looking for a place to start. These range from journaling to reviewing network contacts and opportunities to creating a personal vision inventory. Each activity is rated with a level of effort to guide preparation.

2. Invest the Time to Maximize the Experience

?Yllana notes that before you step into the role of a mentor or mentee, it’s important to do some insight gathering of your own, identifying your own strengths, areas of growth, touchstone experiences, role models, and goals. This preparation requires effort, but is essential to successful mentorship, she writes. “The mentoring responsibility is so important, because it can have a major impact on how someone works, sets goals, grows, and sees their path forward,” she says. “The effects of mentoring can resonate years and decades later, when the mentee becomes the mentor, and passes that knowledge along.”

Ruben Sun , a Senior Design Researcher, shares that “taking the time to map out and share career journeys will go a long way to naming the bright spots, pain points, and moments that matter in the career experience and stand to surface opportunities for exploration in the mentor/mentee relationship.” In addition, Sun notes that gathering and reviewing context around changes in the landscape of the industry and practice are critical to discern what might have changed across time and what changes might lie ahead.

And in addition to a shared definition of success, Miller notes that both mentors and mentees should plan to invest a significant amount of time each week into a mentorship. Miller shares that in a mentoring experience at a previous company, he spent at least three hours each week preparing for a one hour meeting with his mentee. “When you teach someone else, you have to remember things you’ve forgotten or take for granted,” he says. “You learn a lot, too, because ‘That’s just how it is’ isn’t enough.”

Miller also recommends having a team—rather than a single individual—mentor someone looking to build skills as the additional perspectives provide a variety of viewpoints when answering questions and solving real-world problems.

3. Be open to a Variety of Mentorship Opportunities

Mentorships come in all shapes and sizes, and Cofolx recommend looking for and taking advantage of opportunities that make sense for you.?

Jamie Klenetsky Fay , a Senior Content Designer, participated in the federal UX Community of Practice mentorship program last spring. There, she was paired with a mentor that she had known for years, but who had more experience and insight that proved useful. “She helped me figure out what I might want out of my next job, and advised me as I created my first UX portfolio, which I found a very daunting task without her,” Klenetsky Fay says.

Skyler Schain , a Senior UX Designer, has mentored through a program called Streetwise Partners , which advances economic equity by connecting underrepresented talent to mentorship and career opportunities. “I’m not always mentoring designers, per se, but just helping someone reflect on the ups and downs of job applications and career moves can be super valuable,” he says.

Thomas J. Castro Castro, a Talent Acquisition Manager, volunteers with BobaTalks , a program dedicated to supporting current college students, recent grads, and early career individuals seeking career and life advice. Castro has also served as a mentor for several years to someone who reached out to him through LinkedIn. “It’s been a great experience for both of us,” he says. “I’ve helped her with her resume, mock interviews, and general career advice. In turn, she has shared information with me about the challenges she faces as a candidate dealing with hearing loss, which has helped me grow professionally and opens up new perspectives and points of view that I didn’t think about previously.”

Miller looks to connect with someone from a different discipline within his current company to mutually share insight and perspective, along with support and problem solving, if necessary. But most of all, he encourages “tak[ing] advantage of every door that is opened to you. When someone offers their time or support, find ways to use it.”

About Tanya Wheeler-Berliner

Tanya Wheeler-Berliner is a communicator, content strategist, and change manager who inspires others toward meaningful actions that create lasting impact. Prior to her role at Coforma, she spent more than a decade in roles that supported public education, equitable access to healthy food and active lifestyle opportunities, and the alleviation of systemic poverty and homelessness.?

About Coforma

Coforma crafts creative solutions and builds technology products that elevate human needs. They’re impactful by design. Visit coforma.io/culture/ to learn more about what makes them unique.