Cara Cipriano MD, MSc, FAAOS
June 28, 2023
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The Elements of Mentoring: Advising, Sponsoring, and Coaching
None of us would be where we are today without our mentors. While the term can be defined in many ways, I think of a mentor as someone who furthers your development personally or professionally. A mentor can help you learn from their experience and insight, define your career goals and path, broaden your opportunities, and maximize your professional growth. I have found that mentors in medicine accomplish this through advising, sponsoring, and coaching.
Mentors acting as advisors makes suggestions based on their knowledge or experience. For example, my senior partner is a wise, thoughtful, and skilled clinician. I come to him whenever I need input on a challenging case, an issue with my team, or a logistical problem in the OR. He has been in practice 30 years longer than me, so regardless of the situation, he’s been there. Based on this perspective, he is able to offer very insightful guidance. This helps me to be more effective and avoid repeating mistakes he’s made in the past.
Mentors acting as sponsors promote, connect, and creating opportunities. Sponsors are individuals in positions of influence who advocate for you. They are the ones who nominate you for committees or promotions. They actively look for ways to advance your interests and career, either directly or indirectly, by introducing you to someone who can. A few years ago, when I decided to pursue a focus in education, my chairman recommended that I connect with a certain orthopedic surgeon who is a national leader in that area. Acting as a sponsor, he wrote an introductory email, and she subsequently became a great mentor and resource as well.
Mentors acting as coaches help you to reflect, synthesize your thoughts, and challenge you to think further. Unlike advisors, coaches don’t provide (or even know) the answers. Instead, they help you come up with those answers yourself by asking questions to facilitate your thought process. For example, one of my important mentors acts as a coach by helping me to weigh my priorities and develop strategies to protect them.
Mentoring involves different combinations of advising, sponsoring, and coaching depending on the relationship and the situation. Think about your current mentors and the roles they play. Do you have advisors to direct you, sponsors to promote you, and coaches to push you? Is there anything you’re missing? Next time we’ll talk more specifically about how to identify and initiate relationships with the mentors you need to further your career.
dependable in your actions as well as your reactions. Respect others and treat everyone well. This is essential not only to your success but also to making you a leader that others want to follow.
DISCLOSURES: Dr. Cipriano KCI: Paid consultant, Link Orthopaedics: Paid consultant, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society: Board or committee member
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