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As we often say, research is not linear. Neither is mentoring. Things go wrong, mistakes happen, miscommunications and personality clashes arise. Many of these are normal and typical, but you or your mentee might not feel that way in the moment! Sometimes bigger things do go wrong and require additional help or outside intervention. Learning how to troubleshoot problems when they occur, seek help where needed, and encourage growth from mistakes helps mentors become more effective.
Here is an example of a scenario with a problem faced by many mentors:
Scenario One:
Scenario One:
You have spent the last few weeks working extensively with a new student mentee. He has been enthusiastic about the project, though he does not have extensive experience in your research field. You have had several sessions explaining the project, given him a few key papers to read, and scheduled him to work with other team members to learn different parts of the project. He has worked hard during his time on site. You asked him to write a short summary of the project’s purpose and background to sum up his knowledge and experience in the lab so far. Unfortunately, upon reviewing the draft, you realize that he still does not fully understand either the background for the project or the work currently being done.
As a mentor, what could you do to address this situation?
How can you avoid this situation in the future?
Try coming up with two or three strategies you could try with a mentee to avoid this problem in the first place or solve it once you notice it.
Similarly, another problem that many mentors face may be even more common when working with high school or early undergraduate students who are still getting used to the independence that comes with growth and entrance into a professional environment.
Scenario Two:
Scenario Two:
A student mentee has worked in your lab for several months now and has gotten deeply engaged in one of the lab’s ongoing projects. You met with this mentee frequently during their early days on the project to discuss the project’s background and teach technical skills. The student had an intermediate skill level in the technical skills for the project, but needed help with some of the details necessary for their assigned tasks. You have seen your mentee get involved and make progress on their work, even completing several key steps while you were out of the lab for a week to attend a conference. You maintain a regular scheduled meeting time with your mentee but hope to begin encouraging them to take a greater degree of ownership and independence. However, despite seeing their ability to work independently or seek help from other lab members at times, your mentee continues to come to you frequently with questions, even interrupting other tasks you are doing. You are beginning to get frustrated and hope to find a way to change the situation.
How might you solve this situation if you were the mentor?
How could you use the expectations created at the beginning of a mentoring relationship to help in this type of scenario?
Who are some people in your lab or research team who might help you through advice, delegation, or modeling?
What does independence look like for a mentee at that level, and what are some concrete steps you can take to help the mentee get there?
As we discussed in earlier modules, communication and expectations are key elements in starting a mentoring relationship. Once established, those tools become very helpful for many of the future issues that may arise.
You can also take a moment to be self-reflective. Assessing your own feelings, identifying your own expectations and how they shape your perception of the problem, and setting outcomes for the mentoring experience will also help you determine appropriate solutions. Sometimes problems in a mentoring relationship are amplified by communications challenges tied to generational or cultural differences, or by expectations shaped by different personal backgrounds, or other elements that are more about the people involved than the research work itself. Taking a moment to be reflective will be useful in identifying solutions that address the mentee’s relationships and help them maintain a sense of belonging.
The two scenarios above have been adapted from the originals found in Pfund et.al, 2014, pg. 87, 97.
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