What Makes an Effective Developmental Relationship

As you move into leadership positions throughout your career, you might find yourself mentoring or sponsoring junior employees. Here are three ways to ensure a positive developmental relationship.

• Establish a reciprocal and mutual dynamic. While you help the employee advance in their careers, you too should feel revitalized by learning new skills and gaining an understanding of a younger generation with ambitions, priorities, and challenges different from your own.
• Encourage openness and authenticity. To develop a stronger relationship, both you and your counterpart should share your thoughts, perspectives, and feelings candidly, while being open to those of the other person.
• Validate each other’s experiences. When you both feel heard, understood, and endorsed by each other, you’ll both experience a growing sense of competence, confidence, and self-worth. These new feelings should inspire you both to not only learn from your interactions, but also to act on the lessons you learn.