A View from the Other Side: Transitioning from Protégé to Mentor

By Maralee Sautter

Have you participated in the Willamette Valley Chapter’s (WVC) mentoring program? If you were a protégé at one time, maybe you should consider a shift to the mentor role. If you have been a mentor in the past, why not consider another stint at mentoring? The WVC mentoring program is highly regarded by the Society, but due to a current lack of volunteers, protégés far out-number mentors. Past protégés make great candidates for mentoring because they have been on the other side of the table and have experienced the mentoring relationship first-hand. Often, this type of individual can easily transition into a mentor’s position because she or he can empathize with the protégé. It’s much like having the opportunity to walk in another person’s shoes.

As a former protégé, there are few tips that I like give to newcomers who are entering into a mentoring relationship. These tips are a combination of my own personal experience and some that are suggested by Jean Richardson, listed on the WVC web site. While the suggestions focus on the protégé, the mentor’s perspective is understood through example and parallelism.

Commit Your Goals to Paper

Envision where you want to be in one, five, and ten years from now; write these goals down on paper. Make the document special by creating a handsome certificate, an eye-catching journal entry, or even a pop-up window on your computer. This shows that you are investing in your goals. Read your goals often to keep your vision strong. Remember, thinking about goals is good, but writing them down shows an act of commitment.

Be Respectful of Your Mentor

A mentor’s purpose is not necessarily to find work for you, but to steer you in the right direction so you can find work for yourself. A mentor is there to help you believe in yourself and the talents you possess. By showing respect for your mentor, you mirror value and respect for yourself.

Listen to Your Mentor’s Advice

She or he knows the business and can help you with résumés and interviewing techniques. Take active interest in what your mentor has to offer. Don’t forget to ask questions, and follow through with suggested advice. Remember that mentors are not paid; her or his reward is in the relationship, and your success.

Stay in Touch

During the program, you generally meet to confer. Find out how often it’s comfortable for both of you to meet. Sometimes mentors only meet face-to-face one time and continue the relationship by exchanging e-mail messages. Take the mentor’s lead because time is often an issue. Also, be prudent with communication because pestering is annoying. Even after the program ends, let your mentor know what you are doing from time to time, particularly when you have a success.

Develop a Partnership With Your Mentor

This does not have to be a buddy-buddy relationship, though there are protégés and mentors that do continue their friendship after the program. What is important is a strong commitment to the partnership and a mutual gain from sharing wisdom. Not only does the student learn from the teacher, but the teacher learns from the student. This relationship should be balanced with seriousness, laughter, patience, and honesty.

If you experienced a strong partnership with your mentor when you were a protégé, no doubt you understand the power of a mentoring relationship. By transitioning from protégé to mentor, you can perpetuate the gift of giving to another person. Incidentally, the best mentors are usually students of other mentors.

You may ask, “What will I gain from becoming a mentor?” There are a lot of possibilities, but it depends on how open you are to the invitation. Are you ready to make the transition? Some willing protégé is waiting for you to move to the other side of the table.

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I leave you with a quote from Mentoring: The Tao of Giving and Receiving Wisdom by Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch.

“A Chinese parable describes the settings of Heaven and Hell exactly alike: Each is an enormous banquet with delectable dishes on huge round tables. All are given chopsticks five feet long. In the banquet in Hell, people struggle to manipulate these awkward utensils, give up out of frustration, and starve. In Heaven, everyone serves the person across the table and each becomes abundantly full.”

Maralee Sautter has been a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) since 1999, and has worked as a technical writer for GenRad, ADC, and Pixelworks. While attending Portland State University for a master’s degree in technical writing, she discovered a need to establish a student chapter of STC. With the help of W. Tracy Dillon, Ellen Fenwick, Patti Loverink, Michal Angus, and a group of enthusiastic students, the Rose City Student Chapter (RCSC) was officially recognized in May 2002 at the national STC conference in Nashville, Tennessee. She is currently the chapter president of RCSC and a new volunteer for Willamette Valley’s mentoring program.

To reach Maralee Sautter, send e-mail to lady_azimuth@hotmail.com.