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Dear friends,
We are sprinting towards the finish line of 2018, trying to meet our year-end work expectations in the midst of holiday obligations. I find it helpful to remember two things at this time of you: (1) you can’t do everything, and (2) find the fun! I like asking my colleagues what holiday tradition they most enjoy- it reminds us that this time of year is special, if exhausting!
I was recently asked to give a talk about mentorship, which I plan to call “Beyond mentorship and sponsorship: a personal board of directors.” The concept of a personal board of directors is not new (read more here), but it is useful. It resonated with me because it encompasses two key points about mentoring: you need multiple mentors, and you need them throughout your career. Here are some thoughts to get started.
Who should be on the team? I looked at another article and adapted it for academia. I’ve put together a fairly long list. Don’t be intimidated by the myriad roles, though- you already know who all of these people are, you just need to be deliberate about cultivating them. This is not a short-term endeavor. I recommend including building a board in your planning process and taking manageable steps to get there. If you do twelve-week plans, as I’ve written about, you can decide to reach out to 1 person per quarter if that’s what you can manage.
The expert. This person is a leading thinker/ writer/ influencer in your specific field. This mentor can pull you into projects relating to your shared interests, share thoughts about where the field is going, and recommend you for projects that she is too busy to take on.
The role model. If there is someone in your professional world that you wish you could be someday, that person should be a mentor. Even if their career trajectory seems completely out of range to you, spending time with a role model can be inspiring. It is useful to tell this person what you admire and hope to emulate about her.
The cheerleader. Academia is all about rejection and delayed gratification, and I have found it critical to have a mentor who thinks highly of you and will remind you that you will be successful, eventually. A cheerleader will also share your achievements/ promote your work.
The critic. It is no more pleasant to give critical feedback than it is to receive it. If you ask for feedback regularly, sooner or later a mentor will criticize you in a useful way. Even if you can’t be graceful about it in the moment, thank them for being willing to be frank, and reflect on it. Feedback is a gift, and if someone cares enough about you to tell you how to improve, keep that mentor in your orbit.
The outsider. Every academic unit has a particular culture and norms. It’s helpful to have perspective from outside your immediate circle. This could be someone from a different division, department, or institution, depending on your career stage. It is also worth considering mentors outside of traditional academic institutions, especially as you advance. An outsider can tell you when you’ve internalized an institutional norm – I’ll never forget when a division chief from another institution told me I was underpaid!
The insider. Think of a person whose influence extends beyond their official role. Typically, this is someone who has been around for a significant time, though they don’t have to be very senior, is widely known and liked, and has a handle on the personalities and relationships as well as the circumstances within an institution. An insider can help you navigate academic politics. I’ll be the first to admit that this arena is not my strong suit, and I’ve asked for help when I felt like there was some undercurrent that I did not understand.
The leader. It seems obvious, but having a mentor with real decision-making authority at your institution is very important. I’m continually surprised at how few junior people reach out to our institutional leaders for mentoring. A mentoring meeting is much more engaging and positive than much of the daily work that chairs, deans, and other leaders do, and their experience means they can provide a lot of useful advice at a single meeting. Needless to say, if you do get onto the calendar of a leader, be prepared. Ask around about their meeting style, and prepare an agenda and your expected goals in advance. Academic leaders hear a lot of complaints, so make sure that even if you do have challenges, you have thought through some possible approaches to address them so that it is a proactive, positive tone.
The do-er. Mentoring from an administrator is invaluable. Cultivate whichever staffer in your environment gets things done, and they can help you when you get stuck with the administrative hurdles that make doing research hard. We live and die by our staff, and one ally can make all the difference.
The magician. You know those peers that seem to have grant-and-paper-writing superpowers? Perhaps you secretly envy them a tiny bit? They need to be on your board of directors! Ask if you can have coffee with them and learn how they managed one recent accomplishment. It’s amazing how differently people approach their work in academia- don’t hesitate to learn from your peers.
Now that you know who should be on the team, and what you can get from each, what now? Three steps to success:
Ask! Anyone you see as a mentor should know what you’d like to get from them. Please don’t say: will you be my mentor? Say: I am trying to get to [insert your goal here]. Your experience in [insert specifics] is highly relevant and I’d like to learn from you. What do you think is the best way for us to collaborate? Time is the most precious currency- don’t start by asking for time. An attribute of mentors is that they know more about how to get where you want to go than they do. Don’t assume meetings are the answer. One of my most treasured mentors is someone I meet with 1-2 times per year.
Tell! Share your accomplishments to mentors so that they can amplify them. Just as important, share your goals, the more specific the better. Your mentors likely can facilitate your goals in ways you can’t know about, so context is just as important as any specific ask.
Learn! Mentoring is always a two-way street. If you benefit from a mentor’s advice, make sure to let them know. If they introduced you to someone who turned out to be a great contact, let them know. If their advice did not work out for you, let them know (nicely). I used to advise junior researchers to write a thought-piece about their field of interest, and one of the people on this newsletter (I’m not naming names!) very gently told me that the thought piece we wrote together did not seem to have much traction. That feedback was helpful to me, and I’m more selective about suggesting thought-pieces these days.
Asking for someone’s time can be challenging- it can feel awkward, and, for some of us, it’s a real trigger for imposter syndrome. I’d like to suggest that you try reaching out to one person who fits into one of the above categories, just as an experiment. I predict you’ll get a very positive response. People love to give advice, and are more generous than you think. If they decline, you’re no worse off, after all!
As always, I’ll end this email with a request to share your accomplishments with me. I wish you all the best for winter celebrations and a joyous and fruitful 2019!
Warmly,
Urmimala