8 Traits of a Healthy Mentoring Relationship

Many of us have either had a workplace mentor or been one at some point in our careers. For some, it’s a wonderful experience with social, emotional, and professional perks. For others, it’s a failed relationship that can end in hard feelings.

When all goes well, though, research shows that mentoring can nurture a better attitude toward work, improve job satisfaction, and reduce the likelihood of changing jobs. Plus, mentoring has been linked to career success, income, and promotions.

Finding the right mentor may even be good for your health. In a national study of more than 900 nurses, having a work mentor was related to lower stress and greater psychological empowerment—two signs of better physical and mental well-being.

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Traits of Successful Mentorships

What makes for a positive mentoring experience? In a newly published study in Academic Medicine, Sharon Strauss, MD, a researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, set out to answer that question . Dr. Strauss and her colleagues conducted in-depth interviews with faculty members at two medical schools with formal mentorship programs. After analyzing the responses, they identified five key traits of successful mentoring relationships:

• Two-way street. The protege benefits from the mentor’s experience, guidance, and support. In the best relationships, the mentor benefits, too; for example, through employer recognition or shared credit for a joint project.
• Mutual respect. Each party respects the other’s time, effort, and unique abilities.
• Clear expectations. The mentor and protege each have expectations for the relationship, which are initially agreed upon and then periodically revisited. Both are held accountable for living up to their end of the bargain.
• Personal connection. As in any good relationship, the mentor and protege just seem to click.
• Shared values. Both parties have a similar approach to their work and personal lives.

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Other Factors Are Important, Too

These factors may further boost the odds of a high-quality mentoring relationship:

• Frequent contact. Seeing each other often or communicating regularly helps forge a stronger bond, according to a recent analysis of the pooled results from earlier studies of mentoring.
• Lasting connection. As time goes on, mentoring alliances, like other relationships, tend to grow closer and more supportive.
• Smallish age gap. Mentors in the first third of their own careers may be better at helping along newcomers than the old pros, based on a study in Nature. That’s probably because they have more time and energy to invest.

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