Mentorship Etiquette 101 to Get the Most from Your Mentor

A newfound mentorship dynamic is sprouting in today’s business world. It boasts a more collaborative experience amongst longtime employees and young professionals. While this attitude might create a positive atmosphere, it is still vital to honor the traditional mentorship relationship. There is a certain level of respect and insight that the natural experiential hierarchy demands. Traditional mentorship is a symbiotic exchange that speaks to the life of a company’s culture or within your network. Mentorship traverses proprietary knowledge and company customs, while illustrating how to navigate situational issues. As well as VIP clients with their ever-loving preferential standards and requirements.

Lending Leadership and Accountability

Whether mentorships are installed or naturally occurring, they are incredibly beneficial within a company. Mentorships motivate, celebrate, correct, and ultimately create longevity in one’s employment term. If cultivated properly, the relationship between one and one’s mentor also instills accountability and boosts confidence in one’s approach, especially while in their early years with a company. A great mentor emboldens and entices invested young leaders. Mentorship also lends itself to better retention rates. The power and resources that a solid mentorship provides have been underutilized recently. Mentorships are not implemented and imparted like they once were. That, or the new generation of young professionals, isn’t as accepting of the idea of mentorship.

Millennials and Gen-Z professionals like myself are creating a new wave of “reverse mentorship” where we, the so-called mentees, actively guide and educate the mentor. It flips everything on its head,  allowing younger, more junior employees to bring our unique perspectives and fresh skills to seasoned leaders. This two-way street empowers us by making us equal partners, while giving mentors access to new ideas and current practices. –Kimberly Wilson with Essence

A Reminder for Those With a New Age Approach to Mentorships

While Gen Z may inspire a more collaborative, candid approach to their work environment, there is a lot that would be lost by foregoing traditional mentorships. This structure offers guidance and a tier-exchange of knowledge. It’s crucial to take the time to show appreciation for those who offer their time and resources to demonstrate skills that will benefit you. It’s been said a handwritten thank you note goes a long way. Even just a follow-up email to offer thanks and appreciation after someone takes time out of their day to meet with you truly differentiates your thoughtful care.

While the new generation of young professionals might be more Laissez-Faire, it is important to ensure the respect of people’s time and their place within the internal office structure. Therefore, expressing gratitude if you take the time to learn from or shadow a seasoned colleague is essential.

How to Show Appreciation for Your Mentors

Here are some ways to show appreciation to those who are paving the way for your success or have offered their time to grant you a recommendation:

1. Handwritten thank you notes: This personal touch goes a long way and shows ingenuity and thoughtfulness. It’s also practically free. It’s an avenue that shows a simple gesture of thanks, if you’re fearful of looking overzealous to your coworkers. Thank you notes are a must if someone has gone out of their way to give you a recommendation or referral. If your peers uplift or recognize you for something you did well, show them love as well. Whether nudging them in a message to offer you thanks or writing them an email, it’s a must to acknowledge it.
2. Taking your Mentor out for a ‘Thank you’ Lunch: This is a nice way to show appreciation and take time outside of work to get to know them and hear their stories. If you’re on a budget or time budget, buying them a thank you coffee can be a great alternative.
3. Dressing for Success – and to Impress: The impression you give off is essential when you meet with your supervisor. Whenever you are in a meeting with your supervisor or executives, it’s important to dress professionally. Even if you just throw on a blazer to elevate your attire, it shows respect. While it may no longer be widely practiced, it is a traditional courtesy that acknowledges their position. It’s handy to keep a blazer on the back of your office chair to readily grab if you get called into a meeting with higher-ups, especially in the summertime when you wouldn’t naturally incorporate a blazer into your warm weather attire.
4. Honesty: Honesty is so important within this mentorship exchange because you need to be willing to admit a mistake to receive help in fixing it. Not to mention, if you don’t understand something, or the ‘why,’ behind it, it’s helpful to ask. Sometimes the reason why you do something is, unfortunately, because it’s always been done that way. Questioning it could either lead to management reconsidering, or perhaps not, but it illustrates your cautious aptitude.
5. Checking in: You know that phone goes two ways. It shows initiative to reach out to your mentor. Message them with an idea, wish them a great week, or touch base on your progress to see if they have any pointers for you. Even if they’re not your direct supervisor, let them know you care and that you’re there if they need something. This can help you stand out as a leader.

The ‘Why’ Behind Taking These Steps to Show Your Care

These small steps can help breathe fresh life into the mentor/observer relationship. If you are a new hire or on the job search, these tips may benefit you at the start of this next chapter. Showing intention can help you put yourself out there to seek a mentor. Though reverse-mentorship is emerging as young professionals enlighten seasoned professionals technologically, it is still incredibly important to gauge all you can from those with much more experience. Seek out those with more experience who want to share stories and their skills.

With rapid shifts in technology, culture, and communication, leaders who fail to engage with younger generations risk falling behind. Gen Z and Millennials bring fresh perspectives, digital fluency, and new ways of thinking that can unlock powerful insights for the most seasoned professionals. – Maha Abouelenein with Forbes

While many different business publications forecast traditional mentorship as becoming obsolete, it will only become so if not fostered. It is too important not to prioritize this healthy internal exchange within your career or within your company. The outcome of better retention alone should be a great justification for inviting this structure.