Success Toolkit

How to be a GREAT Mentor:

How to be a GREAT Mentee:

Respond to Mentees' requests as soon as possible (within a week).
Limit yourself to no more than two Mentees at a time.
Encourage your Mentee(s) to develop specific, achievable goals, and establish one for yourself as well.
Commit to communicating with your Mentee weekly throughout the relationship.
Give honest, objective, and constructive feedback.

Allow up to a week for Mentors to respond to your request.
Participate in only one mentor relationship at a time.
Have a clear goal in mind - what do you hope to achieve with mentorship?
Be open to constructive feedback.
Be proactive and prepared for meetings with your Mentor.
Respect your Mentor's time and professional obligations.

How to set GOALS for your mentoring relationship:
Download the Mentor Match Goal Tracker and save it somewhere convenient so you can easily (and frequently) access it.

Ask yourself a few questions.
- What are my current strengths and weaknesses?
- How much time and effort am I able to dedicate to this mentorship?
- Mentee: What am I hoping a Mentor might be able to help me achieve?
- Mentor: What effect might mentoring have on me professionally and personally?
Create a draft Goal Statement, and discuss together.
- Is this a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound)?
- What obstacles exist to achieving this goal?
- Mentee: Are you in a position to begin working towards this goal at this time?
- Mentor: Do you possess the knowledge/experience to mentor your Mentee towards this goal?
Finalize your Goal Statement, save it to your Goal Tracker.
- Refer back to your Goal Tracker often.
- Focus and re-focus your mentorship on your goals continuously.
Document and CELEBRATE your successes!

Conversation starters for your first call:

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
How would you define success?
What was the last project you worked on?
What inspired you to pursue this line of work?
How would you like your situation to be different 10 years from now?
What is your greatest, ultimate goal professionally?
What is the most exciting project you have ever worked on?
How would you describe your professional journey (so far)?

Concluding the mentoring relationship:

Document what you have achieved through this mentorship.
A mentoring relationship should have an official beginning and end, but we do encourage you to keep in touch. Stay in contact with your Mentor/Mentee through AIAA Engage, or professional networking sites like LinkedIn.
Mentor: provide feedback to your Mentee regarding their progress throughout the mentorship. Let them know what you hope to see them accomplish in the future.
Mentee: THANK your Mentor! Offer feedback regarding the mentorship process. Let them know what you hope to pursue next.

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