Mentoring

Mentoring_banner

My mentor provided support and information that I wasn’t getting from my home institution. She gave me confidence that I was on the right track with my approach to our facility’s challenges. Her perspective enabled me to grow in my role, even after the formal relationship ended. 

For me the program came at a good time.  We were taking a step back to review all our core processes and it was helpful to have an external perspective to help me set our new direction.

I liked the program better than I thought I would.  I’m not always good at discussing my work-related problems, but my mentor made it really easy to discuss and move forward.

The mentor assigned to me has provided the guidance and knowledge to educate myself better in my Admin role in the cores. I would recommend ABRF program for any mentee anyone looking for a mentoring program.

I learned from my mentee, that the most challenging part of supervising others is related to personnel. Understanding each individual’s communication style and what motivates them is key. I also learned the value of bouncing ideas off of people who are outside one’s daily work in environment.

Two Mentoring Options Available for ABRF Members

AI-generated illustration of a Zoom-based group mentoring session.

AI-generated illustration of a Zoom-based group mentoring session.

Monthly Group Mentoring

Third Tuesday of each month, 2-3pm ET

Held monthly, these peer-to-peer group mentoring discussions will be an opportunity to learn from one another and to identify new ideas or approaches to situations you may face within your roles.

Similar to an informal mentoring program, these small-group conversations are an opportunity to leverage the diverse experiences and abilities within the ABRF Community.

Register here to join your ABRF colleagues to discuss shared questions, common challenges, or issues that you’re facing in your career or professional journey.

Mentor-Mentee Pairing 

Structured one-on-one mentoring program to provide more tailored guidance

The Career Development Committee (CDC) facilitates this one-on-one mentoring program by pairing mentees with experienced mentors. This structured relationship is designed to last for a fixed period, providing targeted guidance and network building opportunities. By launching this ABRF Mentoring Program, CDC recognizes that all ABRF members are professionals with valuable experience to share. Someone who identifies as the mentee seeking advice in one match may be the more knowledgeable individual providing guidance in a different match. Likewise, mentors often learn from their mentees over the course of a mentoring relationship. Prospective participants are encouraged to consider two questions:

  1. What do you need? and
  2. What are you able to contribute?

The 2025 ABRF Mentoring Program has the following expectations for its participants:

  • Mentees must state at least one clearly defined goal or discussion area for focus during the program time.
  • Mentees and mentors commit to meeting at least twice.
  • Pairs are strongly encouraged to set up a plan/goal during the first two meetings and maintain their relationship until the goal is reached.

How it works

The 2025 version of the ABRF Mentoring program is meant to be leaner in operations than previous program versions. There is no meeting platform and no automated matching.

  1. All participants will fill out a short questionnaire.
  2. Anyone who identifies as a mentee will do a short interview with a program facilitator (CDC member) to assess their needs.
  3. Mentors will be selected based on answers to the questionnaire, followed by a brief meeting or email communication with a program facilitator (CDC member) to assess their availability and willingness to work with a specific mentee.
  4. With all provided information, the program facilitator will match the mentee with an ABRF Mentor.
  5. The program facilitator will schedule the first meeting for the pair, and be present for the first 5 minutes of the meeting, long enough to introduce the participants to each other, explain why they were viewed as a good possible match, and explain program expectations.
  6. If, after two meetings, it is not a good match, the mentee should communicate that to the program facilitator, and ask to be re-matched.

How to sign up

To sign up as a mentor or to participate as a mentee, submit the following form:

https://bit.ly/ABRFPEERMENTORING