7 Common Challenges in Mentoring Relationships and Programs

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The relationship between a mentor and their mentee can be one of the most important, fulfilling relationships in your life.

According to research, people with mentors are far more satisfied with their jobs than those without.

Whether it's a professional mentorship or just someone guiding you through life's challenges, there are many ways to make it successful.

However, if things go wrong, they can have devastating effects on both parties involved.

In this article, we'll identify seven common challenges that occur when trying to set up/maintain a mentorship relationship or program. And how you can overcome them.

Challenge #1: Spreading Awareness of Your Mentorship Programs

Generating interest in a mentorship program is critical. It’s how you get mentees and mentors.

However, it can be challenging to attract new mentees/mentors. Especially if there are no existing mentees to act as references.

Here are some tips on how to generate interest in a mentorship program and overcome the challenge of not having many mentees.

1. Leverage Social Media Platforms

Social media can be an effective tool for promoting your mentorship program and reaching potential mentees. By posting about your program on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, you can reach your target audience and create awareness for your program.

When crafting social media posts, it's crucial to keep your message concise and compelling.

You can highlight some of the benefits of participating in the mentorship program. Such as the skills gained, access to a network of professionals, and exposure to new perspectives.

Include links to your booking platform, website, and other channels to make it as easy as possible for new individuals to join. You can even use a free QR code generator so potential mentees can instantly be taken to a landing page or sign-up form.

2. Publish and Share Articles

Writing articles about your mentorship program is an underrated way to generate leads.

You can pitch to publications in your industry or niche, offer to write a guest post, or share your content on LinkedIn Articles or Medium.com.

Highlight the success stories of previous mentees in your program, outlining how they have grown professionally by following the program. These stories can be a powerful testament to the value of mentorship and encourage potential mentees to sign up.

If you don’t have existing mentees, focus on providing valuable tips that your ideal mentees need. Once they realise how much insight they’ve gained from your writing, they’ll naturally want to find out how they can learn more. And that’s where your program comes in.

3. Host Events

Hosting events is an old-school but highly effective lead-generation strategy. You could host networking events, workshops, or webinars that highlight key aspects of your mentorship program.

During these events, you can have experienced mentors speak about topics that the mentees would find interesting and informative. The session would help to inform participants of the growth obtained via the mentorship program and address any questions that they may have.

4. Partner With Stakeholders

Reach out to academic institutions, industry associations, and other organisations within your field that would have a vested interest in your mentorship program.

By partnering with these organisations, you can create awareness for your program and leverage their existing networks to attract potential mentees. Additionally, partnering with stakeholders can help you gain credibility and increase the program's trustworthiness.

Challenge #2: Working Out the Perfect Time to Meet

It's important to make sure that you have a flexible schedule. You don't want your mentee to feel like they're inconveniencing you by asking for time. But at the same time, you need boundaries and official working hours that you stand by.

If you are working, make sure that it can be worked around so that both parties are able to get away from work when needed. If possible, try scheduling meetings at times when both parties won't need much preparation or planning (e.g., lunch breaks). The fewer obstacles present, the more likely the mentee is to show up and not reschedule.

Another tip is to consider setting up your mentees on a recurring schedule. Use a scheduling tool like Calendly to display your availability. Once your mentee has committed to a spot, try to keep it the same day and time every week/month.

If your schedule fluctuates, send out your available times at the beginning of each week. It’s first come, first serve. This leaves the ball in the mentee’s court.

Challenge #3: Overcoming Ambivalence and Conflicting Interests of Mentees

Mentees may have other priorities—like work or family—which can make it difficult for them to invest the time and energy needed for mentorship.

They might also be ambivalent about the value of a mentor relationship. Or they may even feel like they have already learned all they need from their current situation.

Ambivalence is when the mentee is sometimes all in, and other times not. It’s usually because they’re not fully convinced of the program’s value, or because they’re not ready to apply changes to their lives. After working through as many obstacles as possible, if the ambivalence persists, the best thing to do is to let the mentee go until they’re ready to commit.

The best way to defeat ambivalence is to be boldly upfront. Remind the mentee of their goal and tell them that they will not get there without taking certain steps. Or, they’ll end up in a worse situation if they don’t take action to improve their current one.

Challenge #4: Mentees’ Adherence to the Program Outside of Your Sessions

Mentees who don't follow through on what they say they will do—or who don't do the work outside of sessions—can be frustrating. Especially when you've put in so much effort to help them reach their goals.

It's important for mentors to understand that their mentees are ultimately responsible for themselves and their actions. If you’re doing your part to hold them accountable, you can’t blame yourself.

If your mentee isn't following through with what you recommend during your sessions together, here are some steps you can take:

• Ask them directly about their plans for next week (or month). If they don’t have any concrete ideas yet, offer suggestions based on what worked well last time. And encourage them not just with words but also by offering support if needed!
• Check in via email or text message. Do this every couple of days until things get moving again. This kind of follow-up ensures that nothing falls through the cracks while also showing interest and building trust between mentor and mentee.
• Set expectations and consequences for failing to do homework. For example, if they didn’t do what you asked them to do last session, there will be no next session until it’s finished. Or, you spend your next session going over the same thing you did last time instead of moving on to new topics.

Challenge #5: Overpromising and Under-Delivering

Mentors often find themselves in a position where they're asked to take on more than they can handle.

You might be tempted to say yes when a mentee asks for help with something that seems like it would be beneficial for both of you. But this can be problematic because it creates an expectation that the mentor will do everything for them—and more.

It's important not only to set realistic expectations but also to give yourself permission not to take on everything at once.

You need time for yourself and your own projects. Otherwise, your mentorship relationship will suffer from burnout or frustration. This is caused by feeling overwhelmed by demands placed upon you by others (especially if those demands aren't reasonable).

Set clear boundaries with your mentees from the first session about what they can expect from you. For example:

• Are you only available to text or call back within certain hours?
• Are certain topics or issues off-limits or beyond your scope of practice?
• How fast can they expect to receive feedback from you?

Challenge #6: Mentees That Have Unrealistic Expectations

One of the most common challenges is the expectation of achieving results too quickly.

It’s essential to help mentees understand that success takes time and effort. Here are some strategies to help mentees overcome unrealistic expectations and embrace the journey of mentorship.

1. Set Realistic Expectations from the Start

During the initial stages of the mentorship program, have an open and honest conversation about expectations and goals.

As a mentor, it’s your responsibility to guide mentees in setting realistic expectations. Share examples of previous mentees and illustrate the time and effort it took for them to achieve their desired outcomes.

By aligning their expectations with reality, you can manage their anticipation and ensure a more realistic approach to their progress. As a result, you won’t have to deal with false hopes or the “this isn’t working” excuse.

2. Educate Them About the Time and Effort Invested

Educate mentees about the time and effort required to achieve significant results. Help them understand that success is a cumulative process that involves consistent effort, perseverance, and a willingness to learn from successes and setbacks.

This can help mentees reframe their perspectives and realise that success is not an overnight phenomenon. But rather a result of continuous learning and improvement.

3. Provide Guidance and Feedback

By providing constructive feedback, celebrating their progress, and highlighting areas of improvement, you can keep them engaged and motivated throughout the journey.

Encourage open communication and create a safe space for mentees to share their concerns, fears, and frustrations. By addressing them and providing realistic guidance, you can help them navigate through challenges and gain a better understanding of their progress.

Challenge #7: Mentees Who Develop Too Much Dependence on You

Mentors are not therapists. And they shouldn’t replace one of the mentee’s other support systems. Your goal is to be a supportive partner in your mentee’s journey toward self-discovery and personal growth. But there are some situations where it can become unhealthy for your mentee if they begin to rely on you too heavily.

This is especially true if the relationship between mentor and mentee becomes more intimate than was originally agreed upon. (For example: going out socially together.)

If this happens early on in the relationship, it may be helpful to step back from the mentoring process until both parties are ready to move forward again with clearer boundaries.

Another solution is to refer the mentee to another professional who has the right scope of practice to help them work through the most pressing issue. For example, a mental health professional (such as a therapist).

This takes the burden off of you and places the responsibility back into the mentee’s hands.

Conclusion

Mentoring is an incredibly rewarding experience, but it's also one that requires constant care and attention.

It takes time, energy, and patience. And some creativity when things go wrong (which they will). But with these tips, you can have more confidence in your mentorship program. And that confidence will be felt and shared by your mentees. Click here to learn more about mentorship and mentoring programs.

Author Bio

Freya Laskowski is the founder and CEO of SERPManiac, an agency focused on helping brands scale their organic growth with content marketing and SEO services. She is a quoted contributor in online publications like Business Insider, Fox Business, Yahoo Finance, and the Huffington Post. She also owns CollectingCents- a personal finance blog that she grew from the ground up.