#ProfessionalDevelopment #Mentorship #WorkplaceAdaptability
Hey there! 🌟 I messed up with my mentor at work, and now things are pretty awkward between us. Here’s a little background on the situation:
– I’m 21, she’s around 60, and we just don’t seem to click.
– I struggled with the training process and didn’t adapt well to her methods.
– I made some mistakes in the beginning and now she’s cold and irritated with me.
I’m looking for some advice on how to improve the situation and build a better connection with my mentor. Here are a few things I’ve been thinking about:
– Maybe I need to communicate more openly with her about my preferred learning style.
– Taking better notes during training sessions could help show her I’m committed to improving.
– Showing initiative by studying on my own and seeking clarification only when necessary might demonstrate growth.
Have you ever been in a similar situation? Any tips on how to mend a strained mentor/mentee relationship? I’m open to constructive criticism and eager to do better. Share your thoughts below! 💬 #FeedbackWelcome
At this point, you can try to have a sit down 1×1 and tell her:
1. You appreciate and value the time she’s spent with you, and that you’ve learned a tremendous amount since you started.
2. You also realize that you haven’t taken full advantage of her mentoring, for the reasons you specified, that you made mistake after mistake, and the reasons for them, and that you know that the way you acted and tried to learn has not produced the results either of you wanted. And;
3. Moving forward, you want to be successful, ask her how you can improve, what are your opportunities, and can you two start over.
4. If you want to really be proactive, you can put yourself on a PIP (performance improvement plan). This would show that you’re proactive, you possess initiative and drive, and that you recognize the situation you’re in, and will improve it by using established methods that are quantifiable and measurable.
You’re not in a great place, and she may think you’re self absorbed and entitled based on how you didn’t take notes, wanted to learn based on your preference, and not hers. But if she’s a good mentor, and she feels you still have potential, she could see your opening up and request for critical feedback as a turning point, which could put you in an even better position long term. People love a comeback story, and if she perceives the opportunity to turn you around, it’s a great feather in the cap of any leader.
Bottom line, the above may, or may not work, but the alternative is to continue to sit there with no guidance until someone decides it’s time to cut you loose because you’re not a fit. You’re still young, take this as a learning opportunity, and be humble. Lean into the fact that you are young in your career, are eager to learn, and that you’re confident that with her guidance, you can be someone she’d be proud to have mentored, and who can add value to the company.
Well to be honest, she doesn’t sound like a really good mentor. I’ve trained new people as a hiring manager who were what I’d consider slow learners and insecure in what they were doing. But the worst mistake I could have done was to get visibly frustrated and complain about them to others. What I did instead was that I gave them tips on how to learn effectively (make memos, practice) and made sure that we focused on one area at a time instead of introducing a million different concepts and processes at once. I also asked for feedback on my way of training and encouraged them to let me know if something was unclear and we’d go through it again. No such as thing as stupid questions etc.
I’ve also been in a similar situation as you in one of the first jobs I had after uni. The trainer I was assigned was an older, obviously burnt out woman who’d criticize my lack of notes and make nasty comments if she had to repeat things. She had a point about the notes, but her way of talking to me was awful and made me threat the sessions we had. I told my manager and was assigned another person who was much more patient and relaxed and I learned to ace the job in some weeks. Could it be possible for you to get another mentor? I assume that your mentor isn’t your direct manager. Anyway, try your best and don’t be too afraid of making mistakes. If nothing else, that’s a good crash course on corporate life and how you have to deal professionally with people you don’t really get along with.
Very good tips here. I switched fields following a layoff. Much of this is so foreign to me and it doesn’t help my confidence. I’m a slow learner at this point, despite taking notes and using all of the tips you’ve outlined here. There is a certain point where during the process, I wonder if this switch is working out for me, but then I step back and realize that I am not the only one this happens to and that helps a bit. Switching back to my former field of mortgage lending isn’t economically sound right now, and I’m needing a slower pace than this than what this position here offers.
The fact that she said she has to tell you things more than once, and you’re not taking notes might indicate that your method isn’t working for you. It does get frustrating when you keep having to tell someone to do something and then they say yes and then they don’t write it down and then they don’t do it.
Mentors are a dime a dozen in and out of your workplace or career field you can find another and then don’t screw that up till you got what you need I guess
Someone you’ve only known for 4 months is a mentor in name only. That’s just your boss and you need to at least pretend to respect them.
You didn’t say what you do, there is a big difference between say learning accounting on the fly, and maintaining heavy machinery. You said “Only 2.5 month” that’s not a short time. Is you work 95% good and 5% bad, or 80/20, or 50/50.