Last week, we blogged about the Ideal Mentor Profile. This week, let’s check out what attributes are important for a MENTOREE to gain the greatest benefits of a mentoring program.
The ideal mentoree profile:
Willingness to Take Risks: Mentoring can only be beneficial if a mentoree is willing to engage in it with a positive attitude toward taking necessary but reasonable risks, such as thinking outside the box, taking on new challenges, confronting difficult situations, etc.
Can Listen and Take Advice: Hearing what the mentor is really saying and considering advice given seriously is essential for the mentoring relationship to be useful. This is most critical when it comes to receiving feedback about what areas need to be addressed.
Takes Responsibility for Learning: Although the mentor is there for the mentoree’s benefit, the success of the relationship rests largely with the mentoree. It’s the mentoree who decides what advice to take or leave, what course of action to follow and what risks to take. The mentor’s task is to help in that process but not to decide for the mentoree. Therefore, the mentoree needs to own his/her actions.
Are you a mentoree? Do you recognize yourself in this profile? Are there steps you could take to open yourself up more to your mentor? If you are not sure, start a dialogue with your mentor using this list as your guide. What a great conversation starter for your next meeting!