Four Roles of the Mentor

Mentorship is a powerful model for building up an organization. This model believes that passing knowledge down through the ladder of experience is the most effective and pragmatic way to create more experts. It happens in one degree or another in most industries. Leaning into it and making it a priority will create growth faster. At my company (RoleModel Software) we believe that it takes two forms. There is direct mentorship and indirect mentorship. Direct mentorship is the structure that ensures everyone will have a mentor. Indirect mentorship is the "rubbing shoulders" effect where team members are encouraged to create teaching moments on the job with any junior team members they are working with.

I have come to find that the direct mentorship role is somewhat of a complex and nuanced role. It's something that I have given a lot of thought to since I was assigned to be one with only a few years of experience. I felt that the implied expertise in the word "mentor" was something that I was unable to provide, and so I was left wondering what it was that I was supposed to provide. Over the years, I have heard some talks and read a few books on the subject, which has helped solidify different aspects of this potentially nebulous role. I developed an acronym to help myself remember these different roles.

FACE (Friend, Advocate, Coach, Expert)

Friend

The first year or so working with a new mentee should emphasis this role most. Direct mentorship is relationship building. The book, "The Coaching Habit" highlights that asking good questions and being a good listener are the most powerful ways to help somebody grow. Friendship entails honesty and genuine care. The mentor should prioritize getting to know their mentee and asking deep questions about their life. They should share experiences together, eat meals together, discuss books together, and meaningfully interact on a weekly basis. Like any friendship, personality clashes must be conquered for the relationship to be productive. This takes the Christian, sacrificial, brotherly love (see 1 John 3:17-18).

Friendship paves the way for something that is absolutely necessary for any advice to be received: trust. If knowledge is the seed, trust is the soil in which the seed must grow. Without it, the shared advice will be no different than an internet article, and will be ignored or forgotten. People-building goes far beyond a biannual review form and book suggestions. If you, as a mentor, have no interest or care about your mentee's life, you are not a good mentor.

Advocate

Another job of the mentor is to publicly speak on behalf of the apprentice and advocate for their growth, promotion, and success. The mentor is a shield for their mentee's inexperience. They create an environment where failure is safe, which is absolutely critical. I remember the comfort that came when I would go into intimidating meetings as a newbie and my mentor would say, "he's with me." The advocate is the way of entry into so many opportunities.

The advocate appeals for their mentee's promotion in their company. They demonstrate the progress that has been shown and argue for outcomes that will most benefit the mentee. The advocate is able to step outside a self-centered worldview and see the world from his mentee's perspective. They make it a priority to truly understand the intricacies of the mentee's situation with empathy and care. They demonstrate public recommendations and support for the individual.

Coach

A coach provides vision and direction for someone who is trying to improve. I think the most important thing that a mentor must do falls into this role:

The most important job of the mentor is to ensure that their mentee always knows what the next steps are in their journey of growth.

The coach is the flashlight for the traveling apprentice. They shine a light to prevent tripping or going down the wrong path. The mentee should always be able to get an answer to the question, "What should I be doing right now to improve?" The coach pays careful attention to the strengths and weaknesses of their mentee and crafts a customized strategy to maximize their game. They give concrete exercises and routines, not just vague advice. They are out on the field.

Expert

This is the role that I initially thought most equated with a "mentor." Yet, it is one that we place less emphasis on. Expertise in the same field isn’t required for all mentoring relationships. In most cases, life experience and wisdom transmits across roles. The expert relies on their job and life experience and offers it to another with humility. They know how much information to reveal at any given point. They demonstrate the beauty and complexity of the work and transmit curiosity and techniques for finding out more. The expert has the job of telling the apprentice, "Thats not how we do things here." Their opinions carry weight. Their ideas reflect years of earned wisdom.

Conclusion

In order for a mentor to be the most useful, I believe they must embrace these 4 roles. If you are a mentor, think about which ones you are better at and which ones you could work on.

There’s a lot of fruit to be born when people humbly engage in meaningful mentorship relationships in good faith. It works.