Anybody who spends enough time in a chemistry lab makes the curious transition from mostly being mentored, to being a mentor. For me that transition began in my teaching labs, instructing 3rd year undergraduate students how to actually do the things they learned about in a lecture hall. As my confidence and competence grew in my own research I gradually began mentoring the more junior members of our group. Now in my role as a postdoctoral researcher, mentoring is a key part of my job. I thought I would share with everyone some of the key lessons that I have learned through being a mentor.

  1. Reflect – I see mentoring as helping someone learn as opposed to teaching someone lessons. Sometimes we come away from our experiences with only the conclusion, and forget about our methods. They tend to be messy, unplanned and ad hoc. Reflecting on my learning path allows me to give better direction and reminds me to be patient.
  2. Set shared expectations – Sharing expectations of each other is important in any relationship. In a relationship where learning and growing is the goal, understanding what targets both parties have is paramount to your ability as a mentor to provide actionable advice and valuable experience. If you are trying to teach something your student is not trying to learn, both of you can become frustrated.
  3. Be regularly available – As I said above, learning is messy, unplanned and ad hoc, because of this being a mentor requires that you can provide timely and regular assistance to your student. We rarely know when the best time we can provide feedback is, and being accessible means that direction can be provided before correction is required.
  4. Remember you are learning too – Mentoring requires humility. Relationships should always benefit both parties. You, as a mentor, are learning through the process of mentoring. Accept feedback from your student, learn how to teach different kinds of learners, and how to listen and understand before giving advice. Do not forget that getting the most out of a mentor-student relationship requires internal motivation.
  5. Have fun – This is something I say regularly to the people I mentor, and I truly mean it. Building relationships with people is one of the most fulfilling activities in life. Fun doesn’t necessitate a lack of seriousness or formality, it means to bring joy and a smile to what you do. Find the joy in working with someone, of seeing them grow and overcome mistakes. Learn to laugh at your own mistakes (you will make them). Having fun means that we connect in a deeper way and can share joy with one another.

Mentoring other people has made me grow so much in my career. It is one of the most demanding and rewarding things I do. Demanding because it requires me to take seriously the advice I give and patiently listen to someone, even when I feel I know better. Mentoring is rewarding because it validates my learning and helps me build the community that I want to see in my work environment. I know that I am still learning and growing, but every new person I can mentor, is a new opportunity to learn something new. Thank you for reading, and I would love to hear what you feel are the most important lessons you’ve learned as a mentor.

Benjamin