Lesson 1. Basic characteristics of a good mentee

A mentee is the person who is guided and supported by a mentor. The mentee’s role is to look for guidance and constructive feedback on his/her professional improvement and career aims. Certain skills of a mentee facilitate the transfer of know-how and increase the impact of knowledge transfer done by a mentor, and mentoring. Some of them are:

1. a) Active listening: This is a vital skill both for a mentor and mentee as they both spend most of their time speaking and talking. It requires focusing on what has been said, understanding and responding to it. It is a skill that can be improved. So, consider the listening process as a learning experience. While communicating to your mentor, avoid close-ended (yes or no) questions or responses and guide the conversation to discover more solutions.

The acronym LISTEN summarises the features of active listening:

L = listen to what is being said and how it is being said
I = interpret non-verbal messages
S = show you are being attentive
T = try to understand, not just hear
E = evaluate and summarise the message
N = neutralise your feelings

1. b) Establishing goals: Establishing goals is the first and the most important step of the mentoring phase. Because the goal is at the centre of mentoring and its success or lack of success. Being far from, or close to, the improvements and achievements defines the quality of the mentoring. So, a mentee should have a good understanding of goal setting and the power to achieve it. Although this is something to be done together with the mentor, the main responsibility falls on the mentee. Essentially, the final aim and expected achievements at the end of mentoring should be defined clearly and be shared with the mentor.
2. c) Continuous learner: Mentoring is a reciprocal process both for mentor and mentee. It allows them to learn together. So, it is essential for both to be willing to learn, open-minded and happy to share knowledge with each other.
3. d) Collaboration with the mentor: Collaboration means two or more people coming together for a common purpose. In mentoring, it is of great importance, and it enables the mentee to get assistance from the mentor. The mentee receives help and direction and so does the mentor, by reverse mentoring. So, it is an active process in which both are in contact with each other, learn from each other and exchange ideas.

Some other characteristics of a mentee are:

• Clear communication
• Motivation to succeed
• Confidence in her/himself
• Flexibility
• Responsible

1. UNDERSTANDING A SENIOR ENTREPRENEUR

Mentorship is a professional collaboration in which mentor and mentee work together, promoting personal and professional growth. It helps to explore entrepreneurial aspects of their own personality and evaluate themselves.

1. a) The needs of a senior entrepreneur as a mentee: It is important for a mentor to understand the needs of a senior mentor. According to Kautonen, seniors become less willing to invest time in activities which do not produce instant returns, including starting a new business. The reason to support them in becoming an entrepreneur should be understood well by the mentor. Their motivations can be ‘being unemployed, becoming self-employed, transferring their know-how from the previous professional experiences, desire to earn more money, realizing their own ideas, having a less stressful job, etc. A mentor should understand the needs of the senior entrepreneur well when starting the mentoring process.
2. b) Becoming an active learner: Active listening and continuous learning are mentioned as important basic features of a mentee in the previous section. They make the mentee an active learner. What is important for the mentor is understanding how the senior mentee learns, planning the mentoring sessions and guidance regarding that.
3. c) Intergenerational differences among mentees and mentors: In the case when both mentor and mentees are seniors, there may not be an intergenerational difference. However, if there is reverse mentoring, in which a junior becomes the mentor of a senior mentee, it is possible to observe some intergenerational differences.

• Forget about the generational stereotypes: In societies, there are always stereotypes that are supported by little empirical data. These stereotypes can lead to certain natural assumptions about different groups. But they may not be true.
• Embrace the generational similarities: Despite the age difference, all generations can work effectively together. This possibly because there are more things in common than there are differences.
• Expectations from mentoring: All generations have almost similar main expectations from mentoring, such as seeking a mentor’s guidance, networking, and a different perspective.