Photo credit: pressfoto
Mentoring has impactful benefits to your career; the insight, guidance, advice, and perspective from a great mentor can propel you to greater heights. I'd like to believe we all want to gain something from the jobs we hold, whether it is developing new talents, learning skills, or gaining experience. So having your boss as a mentor could be a great way to have your cake and eat it too, right?
After all, your supervisor knows your weaknesses, strengths, goals, and abilities at work first-hand. Your boss can also guide you and offer feedback relating directly to your career path and position.
So why not just take the leap and ask them to be your mentor?
In this case, you may need to first weigh the pros and cons of having your boss as your mentor. Things can go left quickly and this could bleed into your work significantly. Generally, it can be much harder than expected to find a good mentor, especially considering that a good mentor for you may not be for someone else. A mentor and a mentee must be compatible for that relationship to work its magic.
Before pursuing mentorship from your boss, here are a few downsides to consider:
They will always be your boss first and your mentor second
High chances are the manager will always prioritize organizational goals. Some managers might apply a lot of pressure to achieve the company's plans at the expense of the employees' interests. The manager's job is to hold their employees accountable to achieve company objectives, so they must observe performance.
Of course, bosses can be interested in fostering their employees' career growth and rooting for you to succeed. However, your boss will have to make decisions in line with the organization's strategy and culture most of the time. This means they can't guarantee you that promotion or raise you've been gunning for, and they may not be able to disclose why fully.
The nature of a boss-employee relationship already has a shift in power dynamics, and adding the extra layer of mentorship emphasizes this shift. Thus, there is a chance your mentor boss may hold you back from specific opportunities if there is a more urgent organizational task.
Even though your manager always wants success for you and your department, it will take more energy and money to replace you if you leave. If they don't find your successor before you go, your boss will need to add "train the new hire" to their already long list of responsibilities. This means there'll be cases where your supervisor/mentor unintentionally and subconsciously holds you back by not effectively sponsoring you for new opportunities or mentoring you.
You will have to be selective about what you say
When you have a mentor, you will go to them for guidance on work matters such as problematic clients, career growth strategies, or navigating a challenging work environment.
However, when your boss is your mentor, you must remember that they are still your supervisor. This means that you will have to think carefully about anything you say and communicate it impartially. As a mentee, you may need to rant about work to your mentor sometimes (within reason, lol), but if your boss is your mentor, then it could be tricky.
You will need to determine early on and mutually agree on acceptable discussion topics for your mentoring sessions. For example, anything affecting your work performance or dealing with difficult people at work is fair game. On the other hand, you might be uncomfortable asking for insight into getting a role in another organization or an internal promotion. This restricts you regarding what issues you can and can't address with your mentor.
It can also be awkward admitting to your boss about those weaknesses you want to improve, especially when you are almost due for a performance review. You may end up being afraid to disclose such information to a mentor boss for fear they'll include it in their employee evaluations.
There's more constructive criticism than expected
A mentor from outside usually sees your best parts and offers feedback based on the goals and conversations you share, so they don't know what goes wrong every day. This means you'll mostly get positive feedback and reinforcement.
On the other hand, if you strongly dislike constructive criticism or feedback, then your boss as a mentor may not be the right option for you. Your supervisor typically gets to observe your performance first-hand, so they also know where you go wrong. It is not easy to hear such feedback, and you may be tempted to keep defending yourself. This can put a strain on your relationship with your mentor boss.
What it looks like when the boss-mentor hybrid works
However, just because there are pitfalls, doesn't mean having a boss for a mentor is a setup for failure. When this type of mentorship works, especially if you're on good terms with your manager, it really WORKS!. You'll be close to your mentor, which can boost your engagement and motivation at work. Your mentor boss will also help keep you accountable and give you real-time feedback based on what they see from you. As long as both of you are willing and comfortable to proceed with this arrangement, it could be worthwhile.
If your relationship with your boss is rocky or you're uncomfortable with this concept, well and good. You can still look for mentorship opportunities elsewhere within or outside the organization.
In closing…
This is not to tell you not to seek mentorship from your boss. After all, finding the ideal mentor/boss is like finding a unicorn. We just want you to consider all the facts before you do. Remember that even though mentorship is voluntary and you can end it any time, your reporting relationship, however, is as permanent as they come (until it isn't).