Six mentoring tips as we enter year two of COVID

 Thanks to Michaela Reagan for this contibution!

  • CAREER COLUMN

Six mentoring tips as we enter year two of COVID

As the world recovers, students will need help to get back on track, say Ruth Gotian and Christine Pfund.
  • Ruth Gotian & 
  • Christine Pfund

    • Transitions are stressful. Big changes, such as moving, beginning a new job or starting a family can be disorienting and cause a wide range of emotions, including fear and anxiety. Over the past year, people have endured countless transitions, including working remotely, altered contact with family, friends and colleagues and, in some cases, illness and death. Whatever their experiences during the past year, returning to the laboratory is one more transition on top of the many scientists have navigated. Developing a clear, intentional, realistic, culturally responsive plan for this transition is key.

      For decades, we have studied and taught about the science of mentorship from both the mentor’s and trainee’s perspectives. We have developed and tested mentorship intervention and led mentoring programmes. We have written about the subject extensively for diverse audiences.

      Transitions are stressful. Big changes, such as moving, beginning a new job or starting a family can be disorienting and cause a wide range of emotions, including fear and anxiety. Over the past year, people have endured countless transitions, including working remotely, altered contact with family, friends and colleagues and, in some cases, illness and death. Whatever their experiences during the past year, returning to the laboratory is one more transition on top of the many scientists have navigated. Developing a clear, intentional, realistic, culturally responsive plan for this transition is key.

      For decades, we have studied and taught about the science of mentorship from both the mentor’s and trainee’s perspectives. We have developed and tested mentorship intervention and led mentoring programmes. We have written about the subject extensively for diverse audiences.

      Reassess goals

      In addition to baking sourdough bread, home-schooling children and supporting their communities, many have reconsidered their future goals and priorities. This is a time to explore your trainee’s career plan and see whether things have changed in the past year. Now is the time to encourage them to dust off their Individual Development Plan and rework it to align with their new goals and timelines. Meet with them to discuss if and how their priorities have changed in the past year. This discussion might take longer than your usual meeting, so allow enough time to discuss not only any new goals, but also specific processes for achieving them, including any milestones.

      Realign expectations

      Realign expectations and recognize they are a moving target. Going back to pre-COVID-19 expectations is not realistic. Take time to review productivity expectations and timelines. Invite honest sharing of concerns about deadlines for finishing experiments, presenting results, writing or completing manuscripts and submitting grant applications. Discuss how you will manage challenges, both expected and unexpected, and the related shifts in timelines in the coming month. In addition, revisit expectations around how you and your trainee will work together on a regular basis. Revisit and realign your expectations. For example, discuss your preferred approach to communication during this stage of transition, in terms of both frequency and mode. If something more formal is helpful, consider writing out or revising your shared expectations in the form of a mentoring agreement so that you can refer to it regularly and adjust as needed.

      Reassess goals

      In addition to baking sourdough bread, home-schooling children and supporting their communities, many have reconsidered their future goals and priorities. This is a time to explore your trainee’s career plan and see whether things have changed in the past year. Now is the time to encourage them to dust off their Individual Development Plan and rework it to align with their new goals and timelines. Meet with them to discuss if and how their priorities have changed in the past year. This discussion might take longer than your usual meeting, so allow enough time to discuss not only any new goals, but also specific processes for achieving them, including any milestones.

      Realign expectations

      Realign expectations and recognize they are a moving target. Going back to pre-COVID-19 expectations is not realistic. Take time to review productivity expectations and timelines. Invite honest sharing of concerns about deadlines for finishing experiments, presenting results, writing or completing manuscripts and submitting grant applications. Discuss how you will manage challenges, both expected and unexpected, and the related shifts in timelines in the coming month. In addition, revisit expectations around how you and your trainee will work together on a regular basis. Revisit and realign your expectations. For example, discuss your preferred approach to communication during this stage of transition, in terms of both frequency and mode. If something more formal is helpful, consider writing out or revising your shared expectations in the form of a mentoring agreement so that you can refer to it regularly and adjust as needed.

      Successfully navigating one transition — let alone several — takes time, energy and intentionality. Mentors can play an important part in supporting their trainees in this process by using some of the strategies suggested above, as well as by role-modelling healthy, reflective and realistic approaches to this next set of transitions.

      Ruth Gotian is the chief learning officer and assistant professor of education in anaesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Christine Pfund is senior scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

      doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01598-4

      This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged.

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