Soc 100 Assignment 1 Reviewing Research and Making Connections

When First Round launched its Mentorship Program in 2016, nosotros didn't know what to wait. We'd heard from a number of people in our community that mentorship remained an elusive, missing piece in their careers. Younger people said it was intimidating and difficult to find a mentor. Their older counterparts said they weren't sure if their communication truly mattered. But everyone said they believed in mentorship's transformative power. So we set up out to fix it.

The task went to Whitnie Low Narcisse, who leads all of Start Round'due south advisory programs and more. Subsequently putting out a telephone call for both mentees (at First Round companies) and mentors selected from tech's most talented operators, she was overwhelmed past the response on both sides (eventually accepting exactly 50/50 female and male mentees). Then it was up to her to diagnose why mentorship usually goes sideways and design something dissimilar:

To address informality, she required mentor-mentee pairs to run into every other week for one quarter (leaving the choice open up for them to go on), totaling 6 meetings.

To improve content of conversations, she charged mentees with developing thoughtful agendas for their meetings and sharing them with their mentors in accelerate.

To kindle rapport, she assigned mentees to mentors based on their interests and areas of expertise.

To mensurate effectiveness, she ran surveys and polled not only what mentees learned, but how they were applying it in their everyday work.

The feedback was effusively positive, with high need for another circular. Since and then, she's run ii more, each one larger and more pop than the last — totaling 100 matches across all 3 (with a fourth launching this calendar month). Observing this, and hoping to get fifty-fifty better, we wanted to sympathize what distinguished the nigh successful mentor-mentee pairs from the pack. What did they take in common? Many people said the feel had changed their careers. What was that secret sauce? We all wondered.

So, Narcisse asked the best mentors. A lot of them. And we've distilled the fundamental lessons they shared for you lot here. Whether you're creating a mentorship plan for your company, looking for a mentor to help yous think through challenges, or hoping to brand a bigger impact as a mentor yourself, this article is for you. Mentorship can be an incredible career accelerator — here'south how to actually get in work.

We recently shared an update on how our mentorship program has grown in the past iii years and gathered 25 additional tips on how to be a good mentor — caput over here to check information technology out.

How to Find the Correct Match

Obviously, out in the world people don't have the do good of being assigned a mentor. You have to do the heavy lifting of finding and asking someone yourself. Commonly, this ways choosing from amidst a number of more experienced professionals in your life — a sometime boss, leaders at your current company, someone who has the job you hope to take someday, someone who has provided back up, communication or championed you lot in past roles. All of these people could be skilful, merely they also might not be. Not because they're untalented or unhelpful — only because they're not the best match. Request someone to mentor you is nervus-racking enough. Y'all want to make certain you're asking the correct person.

On the mentor'south side of the equation, if yous've achieved success and mastery in an area, you lot're probably getting inundated with requests for coffee conversations and regular advice. The more than mentees you have on, the less aid you can be. They key is to choose simply a few people who yous can invest in and provide a lot of value to.

To nail the fragile chemistry required, eight questions have proven to be specially telling, says Narcisse — four that mentors should enquire, and four that mentees should ask:

For mentors:

Can I clearly exist helpful to this potential mentee? Have they reached out with articulate reasons or intentions for why they'd like my help? Are at that place specific needs they have that I can address?

Tin this person be completely open up and honest? Are they willing to provide deep context nearly their issues and vulnerabilities? Will they be able to share information, metrics, goals, slide decks, etc. that will help in the procedure?

Is this person prepared? Do they tend to be proactive about setting up time and providing enough context or an agenda upfront? Do they direct conversations and ask specific questions? (Be wary of people who want more general help or to affect base without a topic in heed.)

Does this person requite me energy? Practice I usually learn things from this person myself? Does talking to them let me to reflect differently on my own business or path? Has talking to them in the past felt like a good use of time? Practice they inspire me to remember more deeply, fifty-fifty though they have less feel?

For mentees:

Does this potential mentor remember key details nearly me? Have you lot had to continuously repeat yourself or remind them about who you are or the context of your job every time you lot see them? This doesn't bode well.

Will it be hard to explain the concepts or context of my task? You should choose someone who is shut enough to your manufacture and functional area so that very quick, even shorthand explanations will do, and they can immediately dive in and understand your principal challenges and goals.

Can this person give actionable advice? Take they told you something in the past that you've been able to apply right away? Are they a proficient instructor? Practice they share tactics, or do they generalize? If they don't recommend specific actions to accept, then break. They might be likewise senior and removed from the day-to-day work. You lot might be meliorate off with a skip-level above you than an executive.

"The ideal experience gap is 5-10 years. That far out, the mentor is experienced just can still remember what it felt like to be in their mentee's shoes."

Does this person seem present and focused? Neat mentorship requires undivided attention. Certain, anybody is busy, only in the past, has this person listened to yous with intent? Practise they give you or others their total attention when they're in listening mode? Or are they looking at their phone? Do they interrupt?

Depending on which side of the equation you find yourself, inquire the relevant set of questions. This can help to peel down the list of people you'd consider working with. Once you hone in on a few who might fit the pecker, consider sending them a version of the other list of questions (i.east. if you lot're a mentee, send them the listing of mentor questions).

They don't have to tell you their answers. Frame it as some thoughts to consider earlier entering into a more regular organization. It volition make yous appear and feel prepared — and set up potent expectations. It might too disqualify suboptimal candidates who won't brand the investment you're looking for. If questions are answered positively on both sides, it's very likely you lot'll have a productive match.

Set the Right Ground Rules

As mentioned above, the Commencement Round Mentorship Plan sets some firm parameters — and for skillful reason. Nosotros know this might be difficult in less formal settings, only at that place are some rules that we do recall y'all should apply to create more effective connections. These are geared toward mentees:

Kicking off relationships around distinct problems or challenges: Ane of the all-time means to get a lot of value out of a mentor is to present something specific for them to aid you solve. It might be seeing your startup through a successful launch, releasing a feature, building out a design squad, or managing an underperformer. Note: this does non mean you're asking them to solve it for you or give y'all the answer. Rather, yous'd love to get to know them and hear their experience on your path to finding a solution or reaching this milestone.

What'due south that one thing in your path that you want to overcome or attain to get to a unlike level in your career? That'due south a perfect place to start with a mentor.

You can exist detailed in the assist you need, and your mentor will know they provided concrete and measurable help. This is far better than asking someone for full general or ongoing career advice.

Build in offramps. This goes hand in hand with the rule above. People are much more likely to work with you if they don't meet it as a perpetual delivery. A lot of mentees become in assertive that they'll ask someone to be their mentor, and then that person will ride shotgun with them throughout their career. While this tin and does happen occasionally, information technology's not always realistic, and your needs are bound to modify.

Consider setting a soft deadline on an initial engagement from the beginning: i.e. "Our new feature launches at the end of Q2, I'd love to see with you every couple of weeks until and then." That manner, there'due south a natural exit after value has been provided. If you have neat chemistry and want to go along chatting afterward that, that'south awesome. Simply don't make it the expectation. You'll become more enthusiasm upfront and maximize your chance of finding the correct lifelong mentors.

Create a schedule — but keep it loose. Choosing a challenge or problem to base your mentorship effectually sets you upwards well to enquire for a serial of meetings. In club for this type of relationship to truly change the way you work, you need some regularity and predictability. In most cases, people talk with their mentors whenever something comes up or they get stuck. In this situation, mentors generally provide an off-the-gage analysis and communication that may or may not exist their best thinking. Regular meetings empower duos to come prepared and make smarter, incremental progress — while getting to know each other meliorate.

The key, still, is to not impose a rigid or unrealistic cadence. Everyone is decorated, particularly very accomplished people. Things come up, fires break out. If you lot're too dead set on a schedule, 1 cancellation can throw the whole thing off track. Instead, set a loose guideline — like every other week for a quarter, or twice a month for half dozen months — non "every other Dominicus" or "every starting time Tuesday at half-dozen p.grand." This will audio more reasonable on both sides, and minor rescheduling here and at that place won't derail you.

Measure progress every meeting. In the agenda you lot set (and send ahead) for each meeting, gear up aside 5-10 minutes at the offset to talk about what's happened in the interim. What progress has been made toward the concrete goal you've defined? If you had to quantify it, what would yous say? Perhaps you're 30% there? lxxx%?

Having this type of rough metric to share is helpful for both mentors and mentees. It provides momentum and aids in goal setting. For example, you tin can discuss what would have y'all from 25% to 40% by the time of your next conversation. This keeps the work and conversation moving forward.

Carve out fourth dimension to commutation goals. Besides, at the end of every meeting, you want to designate v-10 minutes for both people to summarize their immediate goals. The mentee should use this time to review what was discussed during the conversation and distill it into action items — selecting those that can be accomplished by the adjacent meeting.

Possibly more importantly, the mentee should also use this time to inquire most their mentor'due south goals. What's going on with them at work? What are their short-term objectives? What needs to happen for them to achieve these tasks? Is in that location anywhere that you as the mentee can leap in and help? Perhaps you can make a referral or introduction. Peradventure yous tin can exist a sounding board or second pair of optics. But considering you take less experience doesn't mean you can't give back starting now. This will make any mentor more inclined to work with you in the futurity, and is a central part of providing positive free energy. At the very to the lowest degree, understanding what they're working on will give yous visibility into the task or career you might want to pursue.

The 10 Commandments of Mentorship

Aye, we know that title is cheesy, but there are 10, and they truly should be heeded in lodge to make mentoring affair. Some are more for mentors, some are more for mentees — but both should keep them all in mind. These battle-tested lessons were fielded past Narcisse from active, successful mentors in our program, including folks similar Airbnb Caput of Pattern Alex Schleifer, Eventbrite VP of Communications Terra Carmichael, and Slack 's first product manager, Kenneth Berger.

Ane: Don't apply the word 'mentor'

A little ironic for an commodity all about mentorship, just nearly all of the mentors we spoke to identified use of the give-and-take as the number one reason they were dissuaded or disinclined to talk to someone. It carries some negative connotations with it: it'due south a fourth dimension suck, it implies a very shut relationship with someone you may barely know, it sounds like a long-term commitment. Direct asks similar, "Will yous mentor me?" are a universal turn off.

This type of mentee approach is much preferred: "Hey, I'thou trying to get through XYZ specific state of affairs or claiming, and I've heard from several people, [NAME WARM, RESPECTED MUTUAL CONNECTIONS HERE], that you might be able to provide some insight or direction in this expanse. Might you have time to meet for coffee?" Don't inquire for an hour in an initial message like this — instead say xxx minutes. If the chat is good, information technology'll last longer, just throwing out the shorter slot demonstrates emotional intelligence and that you lot won't waste matter their time. Always buy them the coffee.

You're going to get someone to take you more seriously if yous can be really granular nigh what you want to attain — it makes them experience like they have exceptional expertise and are being proactively sought out, says Narcisse. Steer articulate of broad requests like, "I'm looking for direction in my career…" but don't get too surgical either, i.e. "I desire introductions to these five people…"

To this point, if yous're a mentee sending an ask, you want to be very clear and explicit about why y'all targeted this person. Practice enough homework to briefly explain why y'all're looking for guidance relevant to their experience. That way, you don't have to utilize the word 'mentor.' Instead, you're inviting them to employ their considerable knowledge on something they'll find intellectually engaging and impactful. That's how people desire to feel — non that they're taking on an additional obligation.

Two: Don't care for it similar a transaction

If a mentee isn't careful, this human relationship can beginning to experience pretty 1-sided. Yous sit downwards with your mentor every and so often, purchase them coffee or a beer, and and then download their wisdom. If you treat it this fashion, y'all're missing out on the golden yous could be getting. The best mode to prevent this is to utilize your first meeting to deepen your personal connexion. Don't start with business. Take the time to sympathise each other's career paths, goals, hopes, fears, and lifestyle. All of this will factor into how the work itself tin can be approached optimally, and will highlight issues that might need to be worked through.

"Ask what the person's life is like outside of work. What'southward their family like? How do they spend their time when they're not working? Where practise they alive?" says Narcisse. "Where does work intersect with life? Where does it cause worry or stress or inspire enthusiasm? That'southward a better entry point into talking virtually work, and it leaves both people feeling more bought into further conversations."

There are a lot of areas where knowing someone personally will help them navigate things better. If a mentee is struggling with relationships with executives, hiring decisions, gaps in their skill set, motivating their team — having a more developed sense of who they are equally a person volition help elicit the best communication for treatment it. Personality, introversion, extroversion, how they manage time, and what they bask doing will all make a difference. With this information, a mentor tin can amend inhabit their mentee'south shoes.

This also sets a more conversational cadence for all future interactions. "Establish the seed of trust correct away with a more personal conversation," says one of the mentors nosotros interviewed. "It encourages both people to share their challenges — historical and current. It makes anybody human being, emphasizes what is shared in mutual and is more bi-directional. Information technology also breaks downward what might be an intimidating power dynamic, and makes yous feel more comfortable as peers."

THREE: Prove up prepared with questions

Every mentor nosotros spoke to said they dear mentees to send what they want to discuss in accelerate in the form of a shared Google Dr. (which allows mentors to annotate and inquire their own questions on what's been outlined), a slide deck (which forces simplicity), or a checklist.

They highly encourage mentees to care for meetings the mode they would 1:1s with their boss, where they set the calendar and own the content of the meeting. Mentors tin can then read through the solar day earlier and come armed with their own questions, more prepared thoughts, and a sense for how they want to contribute.

A good rule of thumb is for mentees to come up with ane topic they definitely want to address, and a brusk list of questions (3-five) that will get them the clarity they need on that topic.

"You should never exist sitting there thinking, 'Gosh, what should nosotros talk near?'" The exercise of planning makes certain time is used wisely. When communicating this to mentors, consider framing your questions every bit: "Here's what I've been wrestling with since we terminal met, tin can you please recall about how you've approached this kind of matter in the past?" That way, mentors have time to scan their history and pull out the most instructive examples and tactics.

"You tin can always depart from whatever agenda has been set if something more than relevant or pressing pops upwards, but the fact that it was created gets anybody thinking and aware of what the big issues are," says a mentor. "Generally speaking, mentees who put a lot in are able to get a lot out."

Iv: Don't boil the ocean in every meeting

One of the hazards of mentorship meetings is that at that place can exist far too much to discuss. Very few startup professionals simply take 1 major challenge or trouble on their plate. It can be tempting to unpack everything that's going on lately. This will just limit how deep your conversation can continue the bug that thing most. Be really intentional about picking the two-3 questions you really want to solve in the space of an hour.

"Endeavor non to veer into big, conceptual thinking or conversation," says Narcisse. "If you take on something huge like how to manage, information technology's easy for your fourth dimension to run out without actually tackling the practical stuff that's coming upwardly the next calendar week or month. Effort to go along things really tied to the decisions that demand to get fabricated, or the solutions that need to be found."

One preventative measure to endeavor: If a coming together agenda is too jam-packed, or if things outset with the mentee listing too many concerns, call a timeout and rewrite that calendar. Mentor and mentee should take five minutes to co-create a more realistic and focused punch list. Don't attempt to practise too much, be ruthless in dent topics downwardly.

V: Enquire your mentor to check your blind spots

Experience gives mentors a different vantage bespeak to see a lot of what you, as a mentee, may not. Ideally, they have been in your shoes earlier in their career. They've seen how things play out and can recognize patterns more readily. For example, 1 sales mentor saw that her mentee had trouble closing deals. The mentor had been in this position before, and knew that it was actually because she was reaching out to the incorrect type of client. But it's non e'er negative — mentors can besides help illuminate everything you're doing right and help you visualize opportunities you would accept never seen for yourself.

"A lot of people don't have anyone at their job acknowledging the pocket-size, interim successes," says Narcisse. "Having a mentor to practice that is similar hanging diplomas or awards on your wall. You lot're able to reference them when yous need to muster the confidence to do something new."

Mentors who are good at sharing their wisdom from feel, rather than just beingness didactic about what to practise side by side, tin assist their mentees validate whether their assumptions or actions are right. They can help leapfrog obstacles that won't matter down the road. They tin tell you lot how the story is likely to finish to save you time going downwardly roads yourself.

Ane of the best meeting progressions Narcisse has seen is:

Mentee explains claiming they're facing.

Mentor explains how they've tackled a like challenge.

Mentee explains how weather might be different based on their concern or state of affairs.

Mentor suggests what to replicate from her feel based on her mentee'due south specific context.

It'south also recommended for mentors to inquire questions like, "Why is that important?" instead of direct upwardly proverb something is or isn't. Or "How exercise y'all experience in meetings like that?" This gives mentees the prompt they need to develop their ain insights.

SIX: Await for themes and organizing principles

Some of the greatest value a mentor can provide is identifying themes in what their mentee shares and providing broader, organizing principles from their feel that can solve many problems at once.

"I had a mentee inquire about how I would operate internal board meetings, which led to us talking virtually specific ways to gain buy in from stakeholders — which he needed to practise across the board," says one finance mentor. "Another asked about modeling revenue, which led to united states talking near how to work with benchmarks in a number of situations."

Sometimes mentees ask virtually X merely they really want Y — a new way to call back about their work. This is an area where mentors can provide pretty unique value.

Consider looking beyond agendas for your meetings, and any notes you take. What situations continue to emerge? Can they be batched into themes? Is in that location a blazon of problem that's giving a mentee more trouble than others? Is it possible to take on all at in one case? For instance, ane mentee was having problem making staffing decisions. Every week, he'd be concerned virtually filling a different role. His mentor was able to share a framework for easing these types of decisions across functional areas.

7: Exist honest and transparent

This is critically important on both sides. If either person feels similar they can't share key data, the relationship won't work. Anybody has to be comfortable being vulnerable, admitting that they don't know (especially on the mentor side). Mentors take to be able to say, "Yeah I went through that and I failed spectacularly for these reasons," says Narcisse. "Mentees demand to be okay bringing as much actual information with them as possible — candidate pipelines, deal flows, metrics they're trying to striking, roadmaps. This is what will make mentors effective at tackling existent situations. Great trust and respect demand to be established immediately."

When a mentee is tight-lipped, it can exist frustrating for a mentor to read between the lines and give advice based on incomplete information. To alleviate this, mentors should aim to be very transparent themselves upfront, sharing something that highlights their vulnerability or that they are willing to share something adequately sensitive. "You take to exist willing to lean in on some personal disclosure," says one mentor. "Right away share something that went actually wrong or that y'all withal regret."

Think, nothing engenders trust faster than giving someone your undivided attention. Both mentors and mentees want to feel 100% listened to, similar their analogue is present, and that their time is being wisely spent and valued. Ready a loud timer on your telephone so you don't need to accept information technology on the table, and time won't be a distraction. Remain engaged and committed to bringing your full intellectual horsepower to each coming together, and the trust will follow.

8: Don't give homework — focus on execution

None of the mentors we interviewed gave homework to their mentees. While it could create accountability, they acknowledge that everyone's besides busy for extra work, and mentees might showtime dreading going to meetings. Instead, you want to gauge progress by checking in regularly on what a mentee has accomplished between meetings. "The goal is actually just making certain that your mentee is executing," says 1 mentor. "I calibrate how seriously a mentee is taking things by what they say they delivered between meeting 1 and 2."

At the finish of each meeting, mentors should say explicitly: "Okay, you should try to go to 'X point' by the time we talk adjacent" — exist clear about what that betoken is and what getting to that milestone means exactly. You lot don't desire whatever fudge factor. And then at the beginning of the side by side meeting, immediately bank check in: "Where did yous internet out on reaching X goal we set out 2 weeks ago?" If not much progress was made, spend time diagnosing why. For mentorship to brand a difference, a mentee needs to commit to executing what they say they volition.

To ready what tin can reasonably exist done by the side by side coming together, Narcisse recommends that mentees choose their most pressing claiming and say: "I'thousand going to tackle this trouble. Here'due south what I'm thinking I'll do and why. How does that sound to yous?" That way, mentors tin can help enforce realistic telescopic. She warns against mentees directly asking mentors what they would do. Replication doesn't reinforce learning.

Mentees creating agendas should build in time at the showtime of each meeting to review what was done and how information technology worked out. For example, possibly they said they'd apply 2 tactics. What was the outcome? This is where mentors smooth — unpacking why things went the way they did.

Ix: Brand sure mentors are learning too

Keeping both parties energized about the human relationship depends on mutual learning. It's of import for mentors to be proactive about asking questions when they see the opportunity to learn from their mentees — and about connecting the dots after their sessions to meet what they might glean that'southward relevant to their own work. Mentees tin can practise their part by request mentors what they want to learn or know more well-nigh to run across what they tin can contribute. Hither are just a few of the things Starting time Round's mentors said they learned during their sessions:

How to better explain concepts and tactics. "Yous're not a master at something until y'all can teach it," i said. "That's harder than you think."

Becoming a improve director past spotting gaps in advice or wrong assumptions.

Visibility into a dissimilar kind of business organisation model than they're used to. In this case, the mentee was working with a subscription model, forcing her mentor to think through how he'd adjust his approach in that situation.

That he wanted to be an executive coach. "Whenever my mentee had an accomplishment, I'd be so thrilled she was kicking ass. It made me rethink my career."

Industry trends and intelligence. "When you both work in the aforementioned industry, the exchange of what and who you lot each know is pretty valuable."

How to run a ameliorate beta program based on how a mentee was doing information technology.

How to call up more securely almost relationships with their ain bosses and reports. "I got a front row seat to how people hear direction from their managers — and they're working for someone but like me."

Where their gut impulses come from. I mentor has intuition virtually what to exercise, but having a mentee forces him to unpack and explain why he thinks it's the right conclusion.

Lastly, at the end of a mentoring appointment — or when you attain a milestone like three months — have a check-in where the mentee shares how much of their mentor'south communication they took, how it was practical, where it's helped and where it hasn't. It'southward a mini post-mortem that yields insight that volition aid both people get more out of mentorship going frontward.

TEN: Always accept multiple mentors

It's of import to have a number of perspectives to bring to affect the biggest challenges you face. You might not have total-on mentorship engagements going with a handful of people, only it's good, every bit a mentee, to have two to three other seasoned operators in your life to consult. You desire to socialize important questions, collect responses, and and so triage.

You might call this your Personal Board of Directors, and consider treating these relationships the mode a company might interact with its board. Narcisse built a personal board of directors for herself over the last several years, and it's become a major source of insight and force in her career.

The handy thing is that you tin ask your primary mentor for introductions to others in their network who might exist able to illuminate different topics, angles or solutions for yous. For example, one mentee had three areas she wanted to tackle with her mentor, and one was management. Instead of trying to offering communication himself (as a relatively new manager), he introduced her to a woman who was a tier of leadership above him to provide greater perspective. Every bit a mentor, don't hesitate to open doors for your near prepared and promising mentees. They'll always remember you for it, and it'll reduce their dependency on your point of view.

"Everyone has bullheaded spots, not only those who are less experienced," says i mentor. "I e'er ask my mentees to have a couple other mentors who specialize in areas where they need to succeed but where I'm weak. I also have a list of four-5 folks who I ever recommend. It's also a proficient idea to ask several mentors the same question to strop in on the right answer or you."

In Summary

Nosotros promise this gives you a guide to make mentorship an infrequent tool in your career. Finding the right match and nurturing the connection can lead in any number of directions — to new jobs, new disciplines, and to lifelong friendship. Just it requires diligence, preparation and continually asking yourself the questions that volition keep you lot on track with forward momentum.

Across 100 pairs of mentors and mentees, we've seen the full range of outcomes. The advice presented above is designed to help both sides brand a positive impact on one another. So whether you lot're currently applying for First Round'south adjacent mentorship round, or looking to first a similar program or human relationship in your own life, keep these commandments and frameworks in mind.

"Making mentorship piece of work for you isn't piece of cake — even though virtually of united states of america believe information technology should happen organically when we're in the right place at the right time," says Narcisse. "The truth is, nosotros have to create these opportunities for ourselves. And in one case we practise, nosotros have to treasure these relationships as something rare and precious. I tin can think of few amend professional person resolutions as we all caput into 2018."

Photography past Bonnie Rae Mills .

harriscrinver1946.blogspot.com

Source: https://review.firstround.com/we-studied-100-mentor-mentee-matches-heres-what-makes-mentorship-work