For more than two years now, I’ve been lucky to have the role of mentor to several staff in ITS. For me it’s been a really positive experience - enjoyable, interesting, and surprising, too. What I particularly value is the opportunity to step out of day-to-day responsibilities and get to know a person who’s at a very different stage in their career and life. It’s a gradual discovery process, coming to understand my mentee’s goals and responsibilities as well as their concerns about the present or future. Though I didn’t have the benefit of a mentor until fairly late in my working life, I learned a great deal when I finally worked with someone who gave me his full attention during our conversations.
My goals during the mentoring process are straightforward, and mentees get wide latitude to set the agenda for our meetings. My role is to listen, observe, and ask questions before I offer different perspectives and suggestions for taking action. We discuss career goals and next steps, possible approaches to current concerns, and immediate or long-term learning opportunities. Often I stress the importance of seeking feedback and asking questions. Seeking feedback is a quick and effective route to learning what’s working well and improving what isn’t. Asking questions is key to getting clear on expectations and setting good objectives.
Though I’ve worked in ITS a long time, as a mentor I learned new things about my department, both good and bad. When I learned of the ITS internship program, I thought it was a great idea. I’m thrilled that ITS chose to invest the time and effort to develop a special program, then screen and hire a group of energetic and engaged students. The students had a chance to learn about the workings of the