Information for Mentors
What do I need to do to become a mentor? - Register here
Becoming a mentor is a good idea if...
- you are interested in strengthening the professional and interpersonal competences of your mentee.
- you are prepared to share your experience and provide your mentee with insights into your experience and everyday work.
- you are open to also learn from your mentee and to recognize this as an enriching aspect of the mentoring partnership.
- you are ready to invest time in the mentoring partnership and meet regularly for personal exchange with your mentee.
Your benefits as a mentor
Passing on your own experience
You have an interested and grateful listener when sharing knowledge, support and advice. By the questions and opinions of the mentee you are stimulated to rethink your own knowledge.
New suggestions and ideas
While supporting the mentee, you will be confronted with new ideas, views, behaviors, and possibly new topics, that broaden your horizons.
Strengthening your own competencies
By practicing active listening, professional communication and empathetic counseling, your own consulting competence can be further developed in the mentoring process. You could also acquire new advisory and leadership skills through this role.
Networking
You could build interesting, new contacts or renew existing contacts with other GGL alumni. You might even get to know potential new junior staff for your company.
Your role as a mentor
The role of a mentor is broad, including tasks as a knowledge facilitator, advisor, supporter and frequently as a role model. A mentor for us is not a subsitute for a professional coach, supervisor, professor or tutor in the classical sense.
Supporting the mentee
You encourage your mentee in personal and career development. You make the mentee aware of their technical and interdisciplinary strengths and empower the mentee in the pursuit of their goals. You encourage doctoral candidates to learn new skills. You point out perspectives, give tips and suggest possible solutions to problems. You share your own experiences and your competences with your mentee.
Defining the mentoring relationship
For this purpose, you will receive specific support during the introductory workshop and through the exchange with the other mentors. At the beginning of the mentoring partnership, you will communicate with the mentee and agree in writing on the specific nature of the support, scope, content and location of the meetings.
Facilitating knowledge and advice
The mentee comes to you with wishes and expectations. As a mentor, you can offer support and help. You advise your mentee on specific issues and assist them in making important decisions.
Reflecting your own role
By having contact with the mentee, you will be able to reflect your own role repeatedly, but you are not responsible for the mentee's problems. If the mentee brings up a question, which you cannot help with due to the lack of relevant experience or knowledge, then you should make it clear. Some topics may be better discussed with a professional coach or psychologist and you should not feel obliged to take on these roles.