Master Mentor

Becoming a Master Mentor
W. Brad Johnson, PhD

“To have a mentor is to be among the
blessed. Not to have a mentor is to be
damned to eternal oblivion or at least to
a mid-level status” (Halcomb, 1980)
Outcomes for Mentees
 Better Job (or, academic) Performance
 More involvement in professional org’s
 More networking and job opportunities
 Greater satisfaction with organization/program
 Lower attrition rates
 Stronger sense of professional identity
 Higher productivity
 More likely to mentor others
 Greater Career Eminence (Nobel Prize)
National Science Foundation (2000)
 Engagement with a
faculty mentor through
the medium of research
can be especially
transformational for
women, minority group
students, and first
generation college
students.
Mentoring:
Operational Definition
MENTORING A DYNAMIC,
RECIPROCAL, PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP IN WHICH A
MORE EXPERIENCED PERSON
(MENTOR) ACTS AS A GUIDE,
ROLE MODEL, TEACHER, AND
SPONSOR OF A LESS
EXPERIENCED PERSON
(MENTEE).
Role-Model? Advisor? Mentor?
 One can be an advisor/supervisor without being

a mentor (and vice-versa).
 Advisor/Supervisor = the psychologist with the
greatest responsibility for guiding a student
through his or her academic program or clinical
training.
 What are the contours between roles?
 Few researchers carefully define the terms.
Mentoring = a quality not a category
Johnson (2014)
Distinctive Elements of Mentoring
 Reciprocity, collegiality, authenticity, and mutuality.

 Provision of both career and psychosocial mentoring
functions.
 Intentional role modeling.
 A safe harbor for self-exploration.
 Transformation in the trainee’s professional identity.
 A connection that endures beyond the formal role
assignment.
 691 Navy Admirals (2000)
Navy Admiral
Mentoring  2/3 had important mentors
Study  Mean = 3.5
 Most initiated by Mentor

 “My mentor was my Commanding
Officer. He took an interest in me
and supported me through the
rest of my career.”
 “The mentor relationship lasted
far into retirement, and ended
when he died a year ago. I was
devastated.”
 2014 Gallup Purdue Index Report (N = 30,000)
 22% I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my
goals and dreams
 27% My professors at college cared about me as a person
 2015 Purdue University

 administrators announced their plans to make mentoring
undergraduate students a point of emphasis in tenure
reviews.
Prevalence in Psychology?
 Johnson et al. (2000) – Psychology Doctorates
 Experimental psychology – 69%
 Clinical Psychology – 53%
 Clark et al. (2000) – Clinical Psychology Doctorates

 PhD programs – 73%
 PsyD programs – 56%
 Lunsford (2012) – All Doctorates (Research I)

 57%
 Atkinson et al. (1991, 1994); Harden et al. (2009)

 No significant race or gender effects
Obstacles to a Mentoring Culture
 Promotion Criteria
 Time demands
 Lack of reward(s)
 Competitive culture
 Distance from
colleagues
 Few Role Models
Benefits to Mentors?
 Research-Supported Benefits for Mentors
 Intrinsic Rewards:
 Greater career satisfaction, creative synergy,
rejuvenation, generativity.
 Extrinsic Rewards:
 Acceleratedresearch productivity, greater
networking, professional recognition for talent
development, awards, bonuses, release
time…?
Mentoring and the Dead
 Obituaries of Eminent
Psychologists
 4th most common theme
in obituaries =
“Inspirational
Teacher/Mentor”
The Elements of Mentoring
Know Thy Mentee
 Take Time with

mentees.
 Be accessible and
available.
 Identify mentee’s
talents and strengths
and communicate
these insights
clearly.
 Spend time
discovering areas for
further development.
Discerning “the Dream”
Primary Task of Young

Adulthood
 The Dream = fledgling

career and life
aspirations.
 The Dream often has the
quality of a vision or an
imagined possibility
that generates
excitement in the
mentee.
Affirm, Affirm, Affirm
 Perhaps the
“greatest” mentor
function.
 Imposter Syndrome
 Be consistent &
unconditional.
 Discern and affirm
the “dream.”
 Gently shape and
redirect unrealistic
aspirations.
Be a Teacher & Coach
 Early, explicit
teaching may help.
 Demonstrate
complex tasks.
 “Teaching
moments.”
Give the Inside Scoop
 Demystify the
“System.”
 Give the political “lay
of the land.”
 Avoid Gossiping or
undermining
colleagues.
Offer Counsel in Difficult Times
 Stand ready to
Counsel.
 Don’t become a
counselor.
 Offer warmth and
kindness but practice
the art of referral
when needed.
Stimulate Growth: Challenge
 Deliberately
challenge.
 When challenging,
use the principle of
titration.
 Exposure is the only
answer to anxiety.
Self Disclose (When Appropriate)
 Disclose as a means
of teaching,
reassuring, and
connecting.
 Who is benefiting?
 Offer a coping, not
a mastery model.
Allow Increasing Mutuality
 Accept and
encourage gradually
increasing
friendship.
 Increasing
collegiality is
validating for
mentees.
 Respect preferences
for hierarchical
structure.
Provide Sponsorship
 Match opportunities
to your mentee’s
“dream.”
 Use status and
influence to open
doors.
 Share power
judiciously
Protect When Necessary
 Mentees sometimes
need intervention.
 Respond clearly but
calmly to injustice.
 Use this function
sparingly (the bully
factor).
Narrate Growth and Development
 Point out milestones

and successes.
 Help mentees step
back and appreciate
their progress.
Practice Humility & Patience
 Remain non-
defensive and open to
feedback.
 Nobody wants a
“perfect” mentor…
 Humble mentors
model fallibility w/o
shame.
 Patience & EQ
Creating a Mentorship Schema
The Relational Cache
 “High-quality mentoring
relationships are not
only built on relational
skills, they may also
generate the relational
skills needed to build
other high-quality
relationships” (Ragins,
2012)
Can Men mentor Women??
Examples
 Listen!
 Don’t assume
 Encourage her to put
her name forward
 Be honest and direct
 It’s OK to cry
 Affirm that she
belongs
 Be attuned to
outside perceptions
CREATING A
MENTORING CULTURE
HOW CAN PSYCHOLOGISTS

HELP TO PREPARE
TRAINEES FOR MENTORING
ROLES AND FACILITATE
MENTORING?
Formal vs. Informal?
 Most faculty prefer

informal “chemistry.”
 BUT,
 Informal models
result in lower rates
of mentorship.
 Many formal
programs show
significant positive
outcomes.
Who is Competent to Mentor?
 Character? Abilities? Competencies?

 Can all professors mentor well?
 Assumptions of Competence & Benevolence…
 Who is training and screening mentors?

 What is the impact of neglectful or abusive
mentoring?
Desirable Mentor Attributes
 Empathy, Warmth, Patience

 Listening & Communication Skill
 Enjoy Helping Others
 Role Model for Valued Behaviors
 Accessible!
 Credible & Knowledgeable
 Widely Connected (Networked)
 Trustworthy/Ethical
 RESEARCH: Takes Initiative!
Master Mentor Program at Hopkins
 Mission/Vision: The Master Mentor program is

designed to create cohorts of experienced and well-trained
expert mentors of junior faculty who are maximally
effective at enhancing the career trajectory of their
mentees. These Master Mentors are a resource that can
help other faculty develop and enhance interpersonal skills
for optimal mentor-mentee interactions. Successful Master
Mentors will accelerate the advancement of their mentees
and elevate the quality of mentorship throughout their
divisions/departments by providing a constant role model
of the best mentoring possible.
Creating a “best-fit” Structure
 Traditional Mentorship
 Team Mentorship (2-3)
 1st Year Cohort Teams
 Mentor Vertical Teams
 Peer Mentorship
 External Mentorship
 Constellation Approach
1-1 or “Constellations?”
 Traditional Mentor-
Mentee Model may be
outdated
 Constellations &
Developmental Networks
 Groups, peers, secondary
mentors, e-mentoring,
famous mentors
FINAL QUESTIONS?
PARTING THOUGHTS?

Master Mentor

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Becoming a Master Mentor

W. Brad Johnson, PhD

 One can be an advisor/supervisor without being

 Reciprocity, collegiality, authenticity, and mutuality.

 Most initiated by Mentor

 2015 Purdue University

 Clinical Psychology – 53%

 Clark et al. (2000) – Clinical Psychology Doctorates

 PsyD programs – 56%

 Lunsford (2012) – All Doctorates (Research I)

 Atkinson et al. (1991, 1994); Harden et al. (2009)

 Research-Supported Benefits for Mentors

 Take Time with

Primary Task of Young

 The Dream = fledgling

 Point out milestones

The Relational Cache

HOW CAN PSYCHOLOGISTS

 Most faculty prefer

 Character? Abilities? Competencies?

 Who is training and screening mentors?

 Empathy, Warmth, Patience

 Mission/Vision: The Master Mentor program is

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