Successful Mentoring Relationships: A Mentor Spotlight on Harriet Stern

By Boon Tan

Harriet Stern has been a mentor since the inception of the Reach Foundation. Through her years volunteering , she has identified several important tools for mentorship that she shares with her students. As a mentor, Harriet sees her role through the lens of providing guidance from the academic process into career and professional development. From her perspective, a successful mentor should engage their students in a working relationship through which goal setting and exploration can occur.

In Harriet’s experience, achieving successful outcomes for mentees begins with communicating expectations and goals in a way where the student feels a sense of ownership for their own development. It is essential for both the mentor and mentee to understand what each person brings to the table - their experiences, expectations, and desired outcomes. In developing this working relationship, both individuals can identify how best to contribute, to help the student reach their goals.

Another element of a successful mentoring relationship is the mentor’s ability to provide information and share opportunities that are relevant to the student. This occurs as the mentor empowers their student to advocate for their own needs. Cultivating this skill will enable the student to share interests and topics that are important to them, which will allow the mentor to tailor their guidance more effectively.

A successful mentoring relationship will develop as a mentor provides a safe and reliable space where the student can confidently express their ideas and concerns. While a mentor’s natural inclination is to help their student grow as much as possible, the mentor should always be mindful of the different constraints and unique challenges that each student faces.  As mentors focus on individual needs, this will create better communication and rapport, which ultimately leads to a more effective mentorship.

Get involved! The Reach Foundation is looking for mentors to start this Fall! Use the links on our website to reach out.