Leadership Mentor Program | Utah Tech University

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This program partners faculty and staff looking to further their careers or opportunities with mentors at Utah Tech who can provide guidance and insight into mentee aspirations.

Mentorship Meeting Guidelines:

Mentor and Mentee must meet at least twice prior to May 15.
Two lunches for two people up to $40 will be reimbursed to the Mentee through the Leadership Mentoring Program. Receipts must be submitted through Chrome River.
Mentees must fill out the pre and post mentorship survey.
Mentor will be asked to fill out a post mentorship survey
Mentees are expected to come to meetings prepared. For a list of ways to prepare, see recommendations below.

Guidelines for Lunch Reimbursement

You must complete the Pre-mentorship survey to be reimbursed.
Lunch will be authorized for only two people, you and your mentor.
Only two lunch meetings will be reimbursed.
Receipts must be itemized and follow all Utah Tech business services guidelines.
For staff and faculty members, as well as those with a University credit card (PCard), please submit your expense reimbursement requests through Chrome River (click below)
To learn more about Chrome River, click here for the training or review the User Guide
For individuals who do not have a University PCard and are requesting reimbursement for expenses, please complete a check request form and attach the relevant receipts. Be sure to provide your current address on the form and include a completed W-9 form.
All check requests must be submitted to Accounts Payable (A/P) at accounts.payable@utahtech.edu.

1. Be prepared

Prepare yourself for your meeting with anything agreed upon and with an issue to discuss that’s important to you. There is always something to discuss since events have occurred between the current meeting and the last one. The issue need not be monumental–sometimes simple things can lead to great discussions and insights.

Build your Mentoring Action Plan:

What are the skill(s) you want to develop?
What type of organizational knowledge do you need to develop?
How will you know when you have successfully enhanced a skill or competency?
What developmental activities would help you develop the most?
Of all the ways you might develop, which are most feasible?
How will you apply your learning on-the-job?

2. Think commitment, not lip service

Regular, ongoing contact is one of the most important building blocks for successful mentoring. Agree with your mentor to meet on a regular and ongoing basis and avoid canceling appointments.

3. Give back and get more

Mentors don’t usually ask how the mentee has benefitted from the relationship. Take the time to share examples and to say “thank you” on occasion, and you’ll often find that the mentor will give more without your having to ask. Sharing how a mentor has been helpful in the past gives the mentor guidance on how to be helpful in the future.

The best mentoring relationship are characterized by:

Honest, two-way exchange
Respectful debate on differing views
Critical assessment of ideas
A leveling of the power gradient
Mutual positive regard and openness
Respect for limits and boundaries
Commitment to confidentiality

4. Keep expectations realistic

Unstated assumptions or expectations can easily derail a relationship. To avoid this, you and your mentor should both discuss your expectations of each other and the relationship. For example, discuss how often you’ll meet or what areas you will work on. When there’s a change in expectations, discuss this as well. Relationships grow and change and so do expectations, so those agreed upon early on may not be the same later. Have periodic conversations to discuss your mutual expectations.

Mentee Best Practices:

Own the opportunity
Identify initial development and career goals
Decide on a mutually beneficial meeting schedule with mentor
Create a clear agenda for each meeting
Be willing to discuss short and long-term career goals as well as obstacles and successes
Seek and be open to feedback
Be willing to talk about how it’s going
Follow through on commitments or renegotiate appropriately
Maintain confidentiality of all topics discussed

5. It’s risky, but it’s healthy

A mentoring relationship is not meant to make you comfortable with where you are. It should challenge you both professionally and personally. This can’t happen unless you’re willing to take risks. What kind of risks? Whatever makes sense, but things like discussing your lack of confidence, challenging a mentor on an issue, trying something completely outside your comfort zone are all examples. Taking risks is an integral part of growth and well-being. So by taking risks, you’re actually getting healthier!

6. Don’t be afraid of your mentor’s silence

You’re in a mentoring session and you seem to run out of things to say, and your mentor isn’t helping because all she or he is doing is keeping quiet. This is a good thing. Your mentor’s silence is inviting you to probe more deeply into what is on your mind, and it’s an opportunity to share more deeply in the relationship. In this situation, pause and look inside yourself to try and get at what is of immediate concern or on your mind and share that with your mentor. The possibilities of what may happen are endless.

Homework, logistics, emotions. These are all important aspects of preparing for your meetings and your relationship with your mentor. Create a list of goals and bring it to your first mentoring session. You and your mentor can map out a mentoring plan together and no one can accuse you of coming to your next mentoring meeting unprepared.