The dental office you currently work for, plan to join after graduation, or aim to start from scratch has its own brand identity. But your practice is not the only one with a distinctive "brand." What is your personal brand identity? What image or perception do you want to communicate to the world? Mentorship presents an incredible opportunity to cultivate your brand genuinely and well-meaningly. So, the benefits of good mentoring relationships are multi-fold; you are learning from those who have walked the path before you. You also establish connections and demonstrate your unique work and communication style to others. The key here, though, is good mentoringrelationships.Whether you realize it or not, there is an art to mentorship at every step in the process—and that starts with your "ask."

Mentoring … it’s not what you think it is!

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Learn, build your personal “brand,” and add value to the mentor

The dental office you currently work for, plan to join after graduation, or aim to start from scratch has its own brand identity. But your practice is not the only one with a distinctive “brand.” What is your personal brand identity? What image or perception do you want to communicate to the world? Mentorship presents an incredible opportunity to cultivate your brand genuinely and well-meaningly. So, the benefits of good mentoring relationships are multi-fold; you are learning from those who have walked the path before you. You also establish connections and demonstrate your unique work and communication style to others. The key here, though, is good mentoring relationships. Whether you realize it or not, there is an art to mentorship at every step in the process—and that starts with your “ask.”

Identify mentors

Too often, mentorship has been viewed as two individuals being “matched” within a formal program. However, mentorship is so much more than that. Mentor relationships may be informal. They may include peers within your age group and/or at the same professional and educational stage—they do not need to be individuals who are many years your senior in age and experience. You may even represent “reverse mentorship,” providing valuable insights to those who are your senior. It is important to think beyond the confines of the “traditional” mentoring relationship.

Actively identify and work with several potential mentors. Consider those in your broader “circle” who may be helpful in other aspects of your career beyond technical skills. For instance, there may be members of your community with expertise in entrepreneurship in different industries or types of businesses. These individuals can be extremely beneficial in providing insights into getting your practice started, operational management, and balancing work and life.

Read: How to grow and sustain your dental practice with reverse mentoring

Ask with care

Set the foundation for a successful and healthy relationship. When approaching a potential mentor, be specific and concrete when outlining your goals and what you are looking for in terms of the relationship. We know this can be intimidating; however, you will likely have a level of comfort and trust in the person you are approaching. In fact, how you feel about approaching this prospective mentor can tell you a great deal about whether they would be a good match. To maximize this connection, it is vital that you have the comfort level and willingness to be vulnerable with the other person.

Negotiate

Be respectful of your mentor’s time. Very few professionals in our world, regardless of their years in the industry and seniority, have a lot of time on their side. To be both respectful of the other party and to ensure you make the best use of that precious time, it is essential to discuss and agree upon the following areas from the start:

  • Concrete and actionable goals
  • Specific needs
  • Expectations
  • Timeframes
  • Confidentiality considerations
  • Processes to get feedback
  • Meetings and their scheduling

Related: Bridging the mentorship gap: Supporting Canada’s next generation of dentists

Manage the relationship

Clearly, the steps outlined above represent one of the two “bookends” in the process, with the other occurring when the mentor-mentee relationship evolves or concludes naturally, as appropriate. So, much of the real magic happens in the middle. Ultimately, the onus and responsibility here falls on you, the mentee, who did the ask and led the charge in negotiating the relationship in the first place.

Here are a few suggestions to take the mystery and complexity out of the “stuff” that occurs after an agreement has been reached:

  • Be a quick study – Demonstrate to the mentor through real, meaningful actions that you take the learning process very seriously. Observe mentor behaviours closely and carefully. Role model them by integrating those observations into your problem-solving, day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
  • Take initiative (within reason) – Too often, mentees, for various reasons, do not make the most of these valuable relationships. Overcome challenges that may lead to your sitting back and waiting for opportunities to come to you. Again, it is your responsibility to ultimately “make things happen.” You should not expect the mentor to deliver opportunities to you on a silver platter, especially with their competing professional, personal, and community obligations. With that being said, there is a balance to showing initiative.

Enthusiasm is great, but do not be too overzealous within the relationship. Give the mentor some “space.” They will notice the right amount of confidence and initiative favourably and not notice excessive initiative in a negative way that is ultimately a source of annoyance, frustration, strife, and tension within the relationship.

  • Follow-up and follow-through – Due to the nature of the mentor-mentee connection, it will likely always be a “mentor’s market.” So, you must always follow through on any steps that are agreed upon or goals that are set during your meetings. Otherwise, you run the risk of alienating the mentor. They may end up spending more time on individuals who show real promise and initiative and seem to be taking the relationship seriously.

In fact, in the time-tested, landmark Mentee’s Guide, Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones notes that polled mentors have historically expressed frustration in mentees’ inability to follow through with agreed-upon tasks. The frustration can be so great, in fact, that mentors may refuse to enter new mentoring relationships due to this past experience.

As a mentee, never lose sight of the fact that you do matter. Your actions (or inaction) can have ripple effects far beyond the singular relationship. Do not become the unsuccessful mentee, which is the basis of the following statement: “I was working harder on the mentee’s life than he, she, or they were!” And remember that it is not just the mentor that is “watching” and forming an impression of you as a professional and person. Often, the most sought-after mentors have big circles. Their reach can have either an outsized positive or outsized negative impact on the brand you build at the start of your career due to their vast network. Make sure you set a positive and healthy foundation from the very beginning and lay the groundwork for the favourable impressions that open doors!

About the Author:

Naren Arulrajah, President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, has been a leader in medical marketing for over a decade. Ekwa provides comprehensive marketing solutions for busy dentists, with a team of more than 180 full time professionals, providing web design, hosting, content creation, social media, reputation management, SEO, and more. If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing results, call 855-598-3320 for a free strategy session with Naren. You may also schedule a session at your convenience with the Senior Director of Marketing – Lila, by clicking https://www.ekwa.com/msm/.