Transcript Sponsored by the Baylor–UTHouston Center for AIDS Research Dorothy E. Lewis, Ph.D.

Sponsored by the
Baylor–UTHouston Center for AIDS Research
Dorothy E. Lewis, Ph.D.
What does each party need/expect?
Importance of Mentoring
 Advice from someone who has been there
 Advice about how to approach problems
and technical issues
 Advice from someone in the same boat as
you
Rowing your own boat can be
satisfying—but also lonely
What Is a Mentor?
 Mentor was a friend of Odysseus charged with
educating his son
 Odysseus trusted Mentor—a big part of mentoring
is establishing trust
 Mentor was a tutor, an educator who imparted
knowledge important to create a new leader
Types of Mentors
 Mentor as in Odysseus—a direct teacher
 Mentor who advises about career
 Mentor in the same boat
ALL are important for success
Responsibilities of the Mentor
 Find out what the mentee needs
 Find out what the mentee wants, ie, big plans
 Find out how you as a mentor can help
What the Mentor Is Not
 A Best Friend Forever. Friendship can develop but
the relationship is not really about friendship, ie, your
parents are not really your friends
 Someone who does the work for you—the onus is on
the mentee
 Someone who solves all problems—the mentor
offers advice but is NOT a fixer
 Rather, the mentor offers guidance, teaching,
tutoring, and nudging in a successful direction
Is There Only One Direction?
 Wise mentors know that there are many useful
directions in life—AND it’s not YOUR life, it’s theirs
 Think of the parenting example—You want the best
for your children, but it’s THEIR life
Inspiration
Instruction does much, but
encouragement does everything
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
More Advice for Mentoring
 Best mentors push you out of your comfort zone.
My high school history teacher required special
projects of me—that made me think about new
worlds
 Mentors offer a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and
a gentle push in the right direction
Aspects of the Mentoring
Relationship
 Mentoring—focus is on individual learners
 Coaching—focus is on a specific question or skill
 Counseling—a part of mentoring but focused on
the big picture, ie, where to go in life
Core Features of Mentors
 Coach
 Counselor
 Teacher
 Role model
 Cheerleader
Coach
 Ever had a coach teach you how to play a
sport, how to be a teammate?
 Wisdom and technique are imparted, but the
player has to practice and get better—also
true in music instruction
Counselor
 Ever sought advice about a tough problem—a
direction to take that is the wisest?
 A counselor is different from a coach—information
could be quite specific or quite general, but does
not usually involve HOW to do something—more
HOW to get there
Teacher
 Ever had a great teacher? What did they do that
was special?
 I learned how to teach from a great teacher I had
in graduate school
 Someone to learn specific information from—a
technique, a skill, a thought process
 We are all teachers, as we are all learners
Mentor as Role Model
 I always saw people doing something I wanted to do
and tried to emulate them
 Charles Barkley always said he did not want to be a
role model, ie, someone to look up to and emulate
 However, if you are good at something and
recognized as such—the role model title follows
Cheerleader
 Who is your biggest cheerleader?
 My mom was my biggest cheerleader (not a
coach, directing my every move). She was
more on the sidelines, encouraging me to go
forward
 My husband is now my biggest cheerleader
What is a good strategy?
The Mentor Asks:
What’s in It for Me?
 To help is the reward
 To see advancement in the mentee
 To leave something tangible behind
 Why do you help your own children? What do
you get back? Sure, you love them, but there
is another component.
Five Questions for
Mentors to Pose
 What is it that you really want to be and do?
 What are you doing that is helping you get there?
 What are you not doing well that hinders your
progress?
 What will you do differently tomorrow to meet those
challenges?
 How can I help and where do you need the most help?
Mentors—Critical but not
Skeptical
 Mentees are sharing their ideas—a part of themselves.
So, it is important to listen and think about their ideas
before you criticize with a sharp knife.
 Try to think about their ideas in positive terms, not
negative terms. Try to remember:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
The Highs and Lows of Research
 The lesson to impart, especially in these trying times,
is that self awareness trumps all—that is, it is hugely
important to know your strengths and weaknesses
 A mentor can help a mentee with self-awareness
crucial for success in science (or anything)
Specific Tasks for Mentors
 Develop a written training program for a mentee
fellowship application—if you need help with this, CFAR
can provide
 Individual Development Plans are all the rage and are
likely to be required in the future
 Document your previous/current training record—if you
have it all written down, it is easier to retrieve
 Write letters of recommendation for the mentee and other
services, ie, reading grants, etc.
Specifics for Mentors
 Establish a time to meet—an hour is good
 Timing of meeting could be as often as weekly or
only monthly, depending on what is needed.
MORE TIME = MORE SUCCESS!!!!
Limit the number of mentees—two is a good number
 Set up a contract that establishes expectations
 Each mentee is unique and requires individual advice
 Goal is to get the mentee to become more self aware
Specifics for Mentors
 Our own CFAR data indicate that those mentees
who spent the MOST time with their mentors were
more successful in getting Developmental awards
than those who spent less time with their mentors.
 Successful applicants spent an average of 5–10 hrs
BEFORE the application was due compared to
unsuccessful applicants who only spent an average
of 1–2 hrs with their mentors.
Time Is Money!!!
 Spend time with your mentees and they are
more likely to be funded!!!!!!
What do I need?
What to expect.
Do I Really Need a Mentor?
 Actually, we all do at many stages of life, for different
reasons and purposes
 Mentors can make all the difference in the directions
you take and what you learn along the way
 This requires that you look inward!
What Do You Need Advice About?
 How to write and get grants
 How to run a lab
 How to prioritize things I am expected to do
 How to define expectations of myself/others
Make a List/Organize Your
Thoughts
 Write down your key strengths
 Write down your weak areas
 If your weaknesses hold you back, make a plan to
improve
 Mentors can help with many aspects of this
process
What Are Your Strengths?
 Writing?
 Generating/interpreting data?
 Analysis of data/presenting data?
 Organizing your time?
Try to find ways to take advantage of your
strengths—a mentor can help with this
What Are Your Weaknesses?
 Time management
 People skills
 How to prioritize
 How to say no
Whatever your weaknesses are, you need to be
straight with yourself—what you can change/improve
and what you cannot change
Mentee Responsibilities
 To show up and participate in your own improvement
 To do the work—don’t expect the mentor to do this
 To benefit from the help, you must help yourself
The Relationship Can Work!
 Mentors can help new scientists be more successful
or decide what is really best for them
 Mentees gain from advice on various aspects of
career development—don’t have to go it alone
CFAR Specifics for Mentees
 Work with mentor to develop research project,
including goals and timelines
 Include a mentor letter describing the mentor’s role
 If successful, critiques should be carefully read and
changes made in design, etc.
 All ethical standards should be met
 Regular feedback/interaction with mentor is
required at monthly intervals (at least)
Specifics for Mentees—TIME Spent
Produces Results!!!!!
 Our own CFAR data show that the more time you
spend with your mentor, the more likely you are to
get a Developmental award—so do the time!
 If the mentoring is NOT working, let us know—we
can help!!!! Both BEFORE and AFTER the grant is
turned in.
CFAR Specifics for Mentees
 Formal bi-yearly assessments with mentor
 Discussion of how research will be
disseminated/published
 Realize the responsibilities of lifelong learning
 Seek career development opportunities outside the
laboratory
 Follow institutional rules regarding research
materials and their ownership
CFAR Specifics for Mentees
 If application is not funded, read the critiques to
determine strengths and weaknesses
 Address the critiques of current proposal or come up
with new area
 Seek career direction advice from mentor or others,
including peers
CFAR Specifics for Mentors
 Meet with mentee to plan the CFAR application—the
mentor should contribute ideas, critique experiments
and writing, and generally inspect research design.
This is likely to be an iterative process.
 The details of involvement will be included in a letter
that accompanies the application.
 If the applicant is successful, assist the mentee in
understanding the critiques to improve the plan for
the work supported by the CFAR.
CFAR Expectations of Mentors
 Meet with mentee to establish goals/expectations
and help with a career development plan
 Build a solid relationship with mentee based on trust
 Promote ethical standards
 Seek other help for mentee when necessary and
encourage interactions
 Provide individual training environment that fosters
mentee’s independence
 Help with publication submission
CFAR Specifics for Mentors
 If application is not funded, meet with mentee to
discuss critique and plans to address it
 If not fixable, advise on future career path/direction
 Seek additional advisors for mentee if necessary—
CFAR mentoring can help with this
Life Is Better with Mentors
 We all need mentors at various stages in our lives
 Mentees can become better scientists and better
people with an effective mentor—TIME spent is a
key variable that leads to success!!!!
 Successful mentoring has reciprocity, mutual
respect, clear expectations, personal connection,
and shared values