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In Search of the Complete Mentor
by William Silen, M.D., Dean for Faculty Development
and Diversity and Johnson and Johnson Distinguished
Professor of Surgery
With thanks to Dr. William Silen for permitting
the following article to be reprinted. Please read more
articles on the benefits of mentoring in Mentations:
News from Faculty Development and Diversity at Harvard
Medical School.
The truly complete mentor is a rare species. How often
can one find a single individual who is able to serve
as an advisor/guide, developer of talent/coach, opener
of doors/advocate, role model, interpreter of organizational
or professional rules, protector, rule setter/boss-and
carry on all of these functions on a long term basis?
It is patently obvious that to perform effectively in
all or even some of these roles requires a giving of
one's self, many different talents, an enormous commitment
of time and effort, and an accessibility which many
are not willing to offer. The mentee lucky enough to
identify and develop a relationship with the ideal mentor
is extremely fortunate, but what of the large number
who cannot?
While the truly wonderful and complete mentors usually
serve many mentees at one time, and derive much from
these relationships, it is unrealistic to believe that
they will be actively seeking more and more new mentees.
Thus, it falls to the mentee to identify that rare complete
and available mentor. More likely, the mentee will have
to find multiple persons, each of whom can serve one
or two of the many different functions of the complete
one.
Furthermore, the mentee/mentor relationship is very
often a developmental one, so that a role model or coach
may ultimately evolve into a true mentor. Even when
an excellent one-on-one relationship develops, the mentee
should always be receptive to the possible benefits
which can be realized by what might be termed "adjunct"
or "fractional" mentors.
A brief review of my personal experiences might be
a useful example of the utilization of multiple persons
in the absence of one complete mentor. The role model
who strongly influenced me to become a surgeon was a
master surgeon, physician, and teacher with whom I yearned
to spend time for advice and guidance. But, he invariably
avoided making himself available to discuss career development
or academic opportunities. So, while I could try to
emulate him in some spheres, I needed someone else to
offer advice and to open doors. Such a person surfaced
in the form of a relatively young faculty person, with
whom I had had relatively little contact, whose close
friend at another university was recruiting for a junior
position. My acceptance into this position was clearly
the result of that friendship, and greatly facilitated
my academic career.
In that first faculty appointment I came under the
influence of a person who proved to be an absolutely
fantastic advocate and interpreter of organizational
rules, but who fell short in my opinion as a role model
or advisor in science or in clinical work. Yet, even
though he was clearly not the complete mentor, his contributions
to the advancement of my career were immeasurable. While
working with this strong advocate, the advice given
to me in only one thirty-minute but penetrating talk
with a thoughtful and caring dean re-directed some of
my efforts and had the most profound effect on my development.
This same dean some seven or eight years later was extremely
helpful in another role, that of advocate of my candidacy
for a chair of surgery at HMS.
Thus, I suggest that the mentee should stand ready
to seek out the functions of a mentor from any of a
variety of sources. Select a role model or coach. Emulate
the outstanding role model and learn from the coach.
Occasionally, the role model or the coach will become
your complete mentor, but don't be disappointed if that
does not occur. Simply turn elsewhere for help. Recognize
early those attributes of the ideal mentor that might
be lacking in your own supervisors, and search for them
in others. Remember, however, that complete or true
mentors cannot accomplish miracles without full participation
and contribution by the mentee who must meet the responsibilities
of that role just as surely as the mentor. |
