Evaluating your mentoring relationship

Section 2 : Evaluation guidelines for mentors

Mentors have limited time and resources. If they feel their mentee isn’t living up to their end of the mentoring relationship, the arrangement may no longer warrant their attention. Alternatively, a mentor may have taken their charge as far as they can. To determine whether the mentoring relationship is still valuable, mentors should ask themselves the following questions.

• Does your mentee fulfill their obligations promptly? Do they apply themselves sufficiently to the realization of their goals? Do they routinely push themselves out of their comfort zones, or do they play it safe?
• Do you feel that your mentee is generally being honest with you, or are they telling you what they think you want to hear?
• Does your mentor bring you concerns and questions? Who does the bulk of the talking when you meet?
• Are they passive receivers or active participants in their development? Do they push you as much as you push them?
• Do you still feel you have something to contribute to your mentee’s development? If so, does it align with their goals? 

Mentors and mentees must be honest with themselves and each other. After the one year mentoring period, a mentoring relationship that’s no longer working or no longer needed should be allowed to dissolve gracefully so that both parties can move on and apply what they’ve learned. By contrast, a positive evaluation can reinvigorate the relationship by shining a light on what’s working while allowing both people to work on what isn’t.