Mentoring Portfolio
John Dandoy
As a mentor, one has a responsibility to their mentee to be open, to be honest, and to call it as
they see it. This type of relationship is unique, few relationships in life give us a real
opportunity to engage with the other person, the begin to know them, to understand their context
motivations, and to let them see who we are (Zachary, 2012, p. 95). In order to positively
influence a mentee and begin the process of meaningful self-development, the mentee and
mentor must build a bond of trust. This bond of trust is, in many ways, the backbone of the
mentee/mentor relationship. As Howard Schultz put it, I had to find a place where I could be
myself (George, 2015, p.17). This authenticity is only developed when there is psychological
safety or a safe space for both participants to share freely. This environment supports growth
through asking questions, expressing ideas, and acknowledging errors (Lindsay et al., 2002,
p.534).
The following secessions are a proposed guideline for to establish rapport with a mentee, build
trust, listen to their expectations and goals, and effectively influence the mentees beliefs to
Session 1
Session one should be a meet and greet. This is an opportunity for the mentor and mentee to get
to know each other and garner some basic information about each other. It is the first pillar of
Session 2
Session two will be a basic and short recap of the information obtained in Session 1 and a further
exploration of items of interest. Additionally, session two would include assignments for the
mentee on issues of importance and relevance for the initiatives the mentee would like to explore
at the next meeting. In this secession the mentee will also be given an assignment to further
elaborate on who they are as a person, what makes they tick, in their own words.
Session 3
Session three would be the time to actively engage the mentee in discussions about the issues and
objectives important to the mentee. The mentee ideally would feel comfortable, safe and
confident sharing freely their goals and objectives in a safe space with the mentor after the first
two sessions. Based on the information obtained in the first two sessions, the mentee will most
Session 4
This session will be spent reviewing the mentees progress on working on their (his/her)
initiatives. The mentor will review, discuss and breakdown the information in order to assist the
mentee with moving forward in the pursuit of their objectives. In short, helping them achieve
their goals.
MENTORING PORTFOLIO 4
Session 5
This is the session wherein you review and evaluate your mentees progress and add additional
suggestions or resources in order for the mentee to continue on their path to success. This
forward moving path is a result of the superior coaching and mentorship of the mentor towards
the mentee.
MENTORING PORTFOLIO 5
References:
Zachary, L. J. (2012). The mentor's guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships (Second
ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lindsay, D. R., Day, D. V., & Halpin, S. M. (2011). Shared Leadership in the Military: Reality,
Possibility, or Pipedream?. Military Psychology (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 23(5), 528-549.
George, B., Craig, N., & Snook, S. A. (2015). The discover your true north fieldbook: A personal
guide to finding your authentic leadership. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
George, B. (2015). Discover your true north (Second ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.