The Pragmatics of Mentoring Success

1. The Pragmatics of Mentoring Success Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH Assistant Professor, Schools of Social Work/Medicine University of Maryland, Baltimore Email: mlindsey@ssw.umaryland.edu

2. Overview of Today’s Talk • Multiple examples/types of mentoring • Mentoring in a PhD program • Mentorship beyond the dissertation

3. You’re on Campus, Now What? • Questions, questions, questions fill our minds at this point… • Why am I here? • What do I want to get out of this experience? • What does success mean at this point/during this process? • We need great mentors to show us how to navigate the terrain.

4. Mentoring Someone who has something to offer • Achieved some level of success in their own right • Usually has more experience, knowledge, history

5. Mentor Wants you to exceed their success

6. Mentoring Can Take Many Forms • Formal mentoring: • Dissertation Advisor • PhD Program Director • Dean • Course Instructor • GRA/GTF Supervisor • Informal mentoring • Connections made at conferences, trainings, external events. • Peers: • from more senior cohort; • from own cohort; • who also work with your advisor

7. Models of Mentoring We Had or Wanted • Classic Dissertation Chair mentor- Your first GRA supervisor becomes your first advisor who provides the data for your dissertation and becomes your Chair. • The “lab” model- the most senior student mentors the next most senior student who mentors the next most senior student… • Informal networking mentors- Connecting with peers in your program or other programs (or even online through CHE or other forums) • External mentor- A big name at another school who gives substantive advice that you connected with at conference or something?

8. What Our Mentors Offered Us • Input on the development of ideas • Career advice • Role modeling • Opportunities to build skills in writing and methods • Membership in a lifelong academic family

9. A Glimpse of the Inner World of Academia • Time management • Building/maintaining professional relationships • Styles of interacting with more senior and more junior people, as well as non-academics • Socialization to the profession • Tips on avoiding professional “faux pas”

10. What It Took To Cultivate Mentors • Demonstrated commitment to excellence • Intellectual curiosity and openness to learn new skills, entertain new ideas • Teachable spirit • Willingness to adapt my schedule/ style to what is needed to work best with them

11. How To Find/Select A Mentor • Consider an expert in your substantive area • Consider an expert in a methods area you want to develop • Consider someone well-respected and well-connected • Consider someone with whom you “click”

12. How To Be A Good Mentee • Be engaged • Be clear on what you want to learn • Ask the mentor explicitly about their expectations and how to optimize time spent together • Bring ideas and (specific) questions

13. Be the driver of your learning process Don’t ask: “What should I write about?” Don’t say: “I need you to find me some dissertation funding.” • Ask: “If I’m interested in x, should I focus my paper on the relationship between x and y or how x is an outcome of z?” • Ask: “I noticed that there’s a RFP through ABC Foundation for topic y. Do you know anything about this funder? Do you think my dissertation topic is a good fit?”

14. How To Seek Advice • Be respectful of other people’s time • Be prepared with specific questions • Be clear on what questions are answerable and what is unanswerable • Consider what expertise this specific individual does and does not have • Recognize that advice may vary depending on who you ask- this is the value of having multiple mentors

15. Making The Most of GRA/GTFs • A GRA/GTF should be about more than a paycheck • Working closely with a faculty member is an opportunity to: • Demonstrate your commitment to excellence; • Expand your intellectual curiosity; • Build the skills you will need to be a productive academic;

16. Mentoring Through the Life Span of an Academic

17. Postdoc or Assistant Professor Whatever your direction, you need continued mentoring

18. A Successful Postdoc • Make a strong connection with mentors • The relationship is everything! • Sit in front of a dataset and write • Should be about YOU • Negotiate rules of engagement very early • Always think at least 2 years ahead

19. First Academic Job • Formalized mentoring is vitally important • At your institution- to learn institutional norms, expectations, processes • In your substantive area, including mentorship regarding manuscript and grant preparation • Peer mentoring: What has worked successfully for others? • Talk to as many people as possible- internally and externally • Develop an identity for success • Become part of professional academic/research networks

20. Lawrence Gary, PhD Richard English, PhD E. Aracelis Francis, DSW Wynne Korr, PhD David Epperson, PhD Ed Mulvey, PhD Ann Hohmann, PhD Sandy Wexler, PhD Carol Anderson, PhD Larry Davis, PhD Phil Leaf, PhD Nick Ialongo, PhD Alan Green, PhD Geoff Greif, DSW Diane DePanfilis, PhD Donna Harrington, PhD Lee Cornelius, PhD Waldo Johnson, PhD Jesse Harris, PhD Lisa Dixon, MD Mark Weist, PhD Robert J. Taylor, PhD Kimberly Hoagwood, PhD Mary McKay Richard Barth, PhD Harold Neighbors, PhD My Mentors