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NCEO Speed mentoring Session

Mentorship is a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, but traditional mentoring relationships can sometimes take time to form and require a significant investment. But what if you could get the benefits of mentoring without that long-term commitment? Or if you like the idea of getting different perspectives on your question too.

That’s where speed mentoring comes in—an exciting format that delivers all the benefits of mentorship in a fast-paced, high-energy setting. NCEO gave it a go at the staff meeting bringing together nine mentors and nine mentees for one hour. Here’s a closer look at what happened.

How did it work?

We asked people to volunteer as mentors and to sign up as mentees ahead of time. We also asked our volunteer mentors to suggest the areas they felt most comfortable talking about.

On the day, each mentee had the chance to speak to four different mentees for 10 minutes each. This gave them the opportunity to get advice from multiple mentors in a short amount of time. The shorter duration of each interaction helped to keep the conversations succinct and focussed on the mentees challenge.

What impact did it have on mentees and mentors?

This session was both surprising and joyful. The surprise? I did not expect to gain, presuming I was there just to give and impart, but of course I got that wrong. The deceptively simple process let two people meet and consider a question. Formulating my answer helped me reconsider what I had assumed about myself. The act of telling the story of what I had learned was like going back to a familiar place but finding something new. As for the joy? That came from a courteous and open conversation which stood out amidst the cacophony of negativity and mistrust that fills our daily news. I was reminded that most people are well intentioned and kind. Also, I had fun.”

Mary Ethna Black: NCEO Non-executive Director

Having input from four different perspectives on how one would progress their scientific career (the focus of my discussions), was invaluable. Particularly from members of senior leadership in the NCEO. It taught me that not everyone’s experiences are the same and that openly discussing your career challenges is hugely beneficial. While the discussions generally led to a similar outcome, the way we got there was very different. I’m sure many early career scientists would find a session like this in future very rewarding and of course thank you to the mentors for the time and input.”

Michael Cartwright: Postdoctoral Research Associate

What next?

We were pleased to see a range of people volunteering as mentors and the mentees were very appreciative of the level of advice they received. We are looking at making this a regular feature of NCEO staff meetings as well as introducing a more traditional mentoring scheme. If you are interested in taking part, please let Ankita Pant and Rose Meadows know.