1. The document discusses creating a mentoring agreement to clarify expectations between a mentor and mentee. 2. A mentoring agreement should outline learning goals, boundaries and confidentiality levels, methods of accountability, and other considerations like meeting frequency and duration. 3. By discussing areas like development objectives, relationship boundaries, and accountability, a mentoring agreement can help calibrate expectations and ensure an effective relationship.

1. Mentoring
Agreement

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Taking ownership of your own development will yield you the most fulfilling results from your mentoring
relationship. This means not only clarifying what your objectives and needs are to yourself, but also
articulating them to your mentor.
A mentoring agreement, whether written or verbal, can help calibrate expectations of the relationship.
This can include the following areas:
1. Learning Goals – Sharing your development plan will give your mentor an idea of the capabilities
and behaviours you would like your mentor to help you develop. It will also allow the mentor an
opportunity to assess whether he/she can adequately support you in reaching your learning goals.
2. Boundary Descriptions and Confidentiality Ratings – In order to have an effective relationship,
it is important to discuss up front the personal and professional boundaries of the relationship. For
instance, you may not want to discuss personal issues outside of work. The following checklist can
help you think through such boundaries:
 Current experiences
 Career aspirations
 Relationship with peer(s)
 Professional habits
 Past experiences
 Development feedback
 Relationship with subordinates
 Personal habits
 Development Plans
 Relationship with superior(s)
 Technical habits
 Non-work issues
You may also wish to set confidentiality ratings for each boundary, for example:
 Hold in complete confidence
 Discuss with me before sharing
 Open to share with others without my permission
3. Methods of Accountability – Identifying what the mentee and mentor will be responsible for in the
relationship can make it more effective.
The methods of accountability might include:
 Preparing a written document that summarizes what was learned, how it was applied, and
what the business results were

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 Showing up on time for agreed-upon meeting times or calling to reschedule two days prior
to the meeting.
 Agreeing to review reading material and to identify specific questions for discussion prior to
the mentoring meeting
 Setting up specific times and agendas to assess how the mentoring relationship
4. Other considerations – The ‘other’ considerations could be many, considering personal interests,
styles etc. However, given below are some examples of considerations worth discussing:
You may want to include the following:
 Overall duration
 How often to meet
 Preferred day(s) of the week
 Preferred time
 Media option (Zoom, Skype, Face to Face, etc)