Leadership Lab

Mentorship: An Intentional Relationship

by Dr. Dan Posey

It is quite remarkable how important the mentoring relationship has become within the veterinary profession. As discussed in a previous edition of CVM Today, the mentoring relationship has always been an important aspect of our society demonstrated through apprenticeships, work/study and shadowing programs, internships, and preceptorships. There are numerous professions, careers and vocations that depend on mentoring to assist individuals in their training and aid them in their assimilation into the culture. Veterinary medicine is no different. As veterinarians, if we are able to accomplish excellence in mentoring, we are bound to attract new faces to our profession and our practices, to recruit and retain individuals to different areas within the veterinary profession, and to share our passion for our profession. Mentorship is one of the keys to our professional success. In this edition, we will look at the mentoring contract.

Dr. Dan Posey (back center) discusses veterinary medical education with Regent Bill Jones (left), while a student, Matt Moskosky, examines a sample.

Mentoring is relationship that is as much for our professional development as veterinarians as it is a benefit to those we mentor. To be a successful mentor requires an intentional investment of time.

Why do some individuals not value investing in the mentoring relationship? The reasons vary as much as the veterinarians that make up our profession. The reasons include: not having the time to invest in a relationship, not believing they possess the skills, or the lacking understanding, (due to their own history), of the value of mentorship. However, by learning a few simple steps, even the most inexperienced practitioner can prove to be a valuable mentor.

Most veterinary students enter in the educational process with some level of understanding of basic communication, leadership, and technical skills. While the educational process can help develop these skills further, the intentional mentoring relationship is where they are more finely honed.

The mentor should understand the responsibility of transitioning the new graduate into a professional veterinarian. Upon graduation, the new veterinarian has mainly attained only entry-level skills. The mentoring relationship is an opportunity to increase confidence and productivity in a newly graduated DVM. To be successful, there must be mutual respect and frequent feedback. Both parties are hoping for a successful relationship, but it takes more than wishful thinking, it takes intentional investment. One of the ways to fulfill this in a mentoring relationship is through the "Mentoring Contract."

The contract helps make this an intentional process and not just a haphazard one, and begins with the defining of roles and expectations There are four parts to a mentoring contract:

1. Objectives
2. Schedule
3. Format
4. Evaluation Process

The objectives define what both parties want to achieve through the mentoring relationship. The objectives need to be mutually agreed upon by the mentor and mentee because each individual brings different expectations to the relationship. These objectives should be the focus of the first scheduled meeting.

The second part of the contract is the schedule. By holding regularly scheduled meetings, we express commitment to the process. The schedule should be mutually agreed upon by both parties. Mentor meetings should take place away from the workplace. If they are pursued within the walls of the workplace, constant interruptions will provide distractions from the process. Finding time in our busy schedules is difficult, but a necessity. One way is to schedule the mentoring meeting around a meal. Breakfast meetings might work well for some while others enjoy meeting during lunch or after work. The important aspect is not when we meet, but that we are meeting on a regular basis. Postponed meetings are common and can be the death to this relationship.

In the beginning, the investment of time is greater and more frequent. The first mentoring meeting should be at least 2-3 hours in length. This meeting is to discuss the objectives, scheduling time, and format. Recommendations include: investing one to two hours each week for the first month of the relationship, one to two hours on a biweekly basis in the second and third month,and at least once monthly for two hours in the 4th, 5th, and 6th month. Before a transition in schedule occurs, the mentor and mentee should discuss their needs. Many times the relationship requires maintenance and renegotiation of the schedule. Flexibility is important, so intention can be maintained.

Another key part of the mentoring contract is the format. One of the common concerns is what to discuss for long periods of time. In the beginning of the relationship, most of the effort is about getting to know each other. As the individuals work together, the conversations are shaped by client and staff interactions, clinical cases, financial aspects of the job, projects, recommendations for individual improvement, and the development of specific technical skill. As trust and mutual respect are reinforced through this mentor/mentee relationship, deeper discussions that are focused on personal and professional attributes can be initiated. It is important to remember each mentor/mentee relationship is different. Encouraging mutual respect and trust is important in developing rapport by both parties.

Critical evaluation is the final part of the mentoring contract and is important in building a relationship by mentors and mentees. Both should ask themselves if they are mutually receiving what they were expecting. This relationship, if properly developed, will last for years. The mentoring relationship doesn't have to end when there is a professional separation or redirection. I have had the great fortune to ask advice and receive great counsel from mentors whom I no longer see on a regular basis. Sometimes they give the best advice because they have the least amount at stake.

By using this simple contract format and ensuring that expectations are understood, a relationship based on respect, trust, and regular communication is fostered. Both the mentor and the mentee will develop professional skills that last a lifetime.