Mentoring: Socially Distanced Mentoring

Up until now you have probably managed your mentoring relationships primarily though face to face contact. However, there are plenty of ways that you can manage and progress your mentoring relationships virtually.

Mentoring via real-time videoconferencing yields equivalent outcomes to in-person mentoring. While email, chats, and text messaging allow for an opportunity to simply keep in contact.

You can use your time to open virtual doors and still make introductions. You can create a safe space for your mentee to share and have a conversation about their career, particularly if they are uncertain about what might happen next or that their plan for promotion has been derailed.

Here are some recommendations for how you can continue your mentoring relationships (while social distancing):

Communicate with your mentee(s). Start with communicating. Reach out and check in with them and see if they would like to have a catch up via video or phone. Let your mentee decide whether they want to take up the offer.
Make adjustments to your usual established routine. If a mentee is keen to continue with online mentoring. Work together to find a new way and a new medium to stay in touch. In particular, be mindful of other commitments and communcation needs.
Be authentic. Share your situation with your mentee. It will help them feel comfortable about sharing theirs and can help both of you understand any challenges of the mentoring relationship. It can also be an opportunity to have a more authentic relationship.
Listen. Use your listening skills, and focus on your mentee’s concerns. Be supportive and compassionate.
Provide Support. You don’t need to rescue or fix anything for your mentees. Instead, offer support that will enable them to overcome challenges on their own. Provide strategies, skills, and resources that they can use to learn and grow. Share experiences so that they don’t feel alone.

I’ve also seen a lot more mentoring schemes being launched at the moment, with opportunities for mentoring through a virtual environment which can lead to strong beneficial relationships. So if you are not in a mentoring relationship right now, you might want to consider signing up for one.