I am a mentor

DR JAGDEESH SINGH DHALIWAL

GP, Medical Director, Medical Advisor

Going into this program, what did you hope to get out of it?

I joined this program to be of help and service to early-career doctors. In this way, I hoped to also gain new ideas from their perspective.

What do you think is the 'secret' to a good mentoring relationship?

I believe it is important for mentors to:

» Empathise — really try and see the world from the perspective of the mentee.

» Ask supportive, open-ended questions. This allows you to unpick the issues the mentee is facing and, together, come up with potential options for action.

» Respect the mentee and remember that what might be a good option for you may not be right for them.

In all of this, I try and remember to keep myself centred on the key goal, which is to provide support while also enjoying the opportunity to contribute to a colleague's career in this way.

How do you think mentoring has helped your mentee?

In the beginning, my mentee wasn't quite sure of her goal.

She seemed to have several options. Through our conversations, we've achieved clarity around her medium-term goals and I've encouraged her to network and build up opportunities. She feels that she is now on track. I have found that it’s been important to agree to actions at the end of every meeting and then confirm that they’ve been completed in the next one. If not, we identify the reasons the actions could not be completed.

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