By Sasha Moss and Kristen Berg
Any successful mentoring relationship involves setting SMART goals – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely objectives - for the mentee to work toward and for which the mentor can provide actionable advice. Using the SMART framework can assist the mentoring pair in defining focus, eliminating ambiguity, and establishing measures for success.
In defining a goal for the mentee to accomplish, it can be helpful to use the following steps to guide the process:
Assist your mentee in clarifying what they would like to accomplish
Determine whether the goal is realistic
Establish criteria for measuring success as well as a reasonable timeline
Define strategies for pursuing the goal
Create a pathwork of individual tasks that will lead to the accomplishment of the goal
Produce an agreed-upon method for measuring and tracking progress
As the nineteenth-century Massachusetts Senator John Crosby said, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” A mentor can provide valuable insight to a mentee as she develops and works toward more challenging accomplishments in her professional field. One way that a mentee can grow her visibility is by increasing participation in conferences and other speaking opportunities. A mentor can provide targeted advice about how to research and take advantage of these opportunities.
Sasha Moss, co-author and DC Mentorship Board member, has been working with her mentee since April and we want to share her experience:
If you would like to get involved as a mentor or mentee, please sign up here.