Evaluating the Mentoring Relationship

Use these key questions regularly to check in on your mentoring relationship:

• Trust level: Does the mentee feel safe expressing thoughts and emotions?
• Clarity of expectations: Are mutual expectations clearly defined and understood?
• Communication: Is communication open, honest, and constructive?
• Personal and professional progress: What positive changes do you notice in the mentee’s skills, confidence, or adaptation?
• Respect and boundaries: Are healthy boundaries being maintained?

Practical tip: Create a simple checklist based on these criteria and review it regularly — alone or together with your mentee.

Interactive Checklist: Evaluation at a Glance

Feedback helps both mentor and mentee grow and improve. For feedback to be effective, it should be:

• Specific: Give clear examples instead of general comments.
• Solution-focused: Suggest ways to improve.
• Respectful: Avoid blaming or accusatory language.
• Reciprocal: Both mentor and mentee should give and receive feedback.

Practical tip: Build feedback moments into your routine — for example, after every 3–4 sessions.

Reflection question: What is one piece of feedback you can give or receive this week to strengthen your relationship?

The conclusion of the mentoring relationship is as important as its start and development.

How to end healthily

• Clearly communicate the reason for ending (goal completion, life changes, etc.)
• Review key achievements and meaningful moments together
• Suggest next steps for the mentee (resources, referrals, future strategies)

When to end

• When agreed goals are met
• If the relationship becomes unhealthy or unproductive
• If either party cannot continue due to personal or logistical reasons

Practical tip: Prepare a “closing letter” or a short reflection questionnaire for your mentee to mark this important transition.

Traffic-Light Evaluation (with your mentee)

Color-code areas together to see what’s working and what needs attention.

Mini-case study: Your mentee seems less engaged recently and gives short answers in sessions. How might you use feedback and evaluation tools to address this?

Reflection Questions

1. Think about a mentoring relationship you have had or observed. How was trust built, and how was it evaluated?
2. Can you recall a time when feedback helped you improve? What made that feedback effective or ineffective?
3. How would you approach ending a mentoring relationship if you felt the goals were not being met?
4. Which evaluation criterion do you find the most challenging to assess, and why?
5. How can you create a safe space for honest feedback between you and your mentee?

1. Evaluation is a continuous process, not a final judgment — it helps guide growth and improve the relationship.
2. Use clear criteria (trust, communication, progress, boundaries) to regularly assess how the relationship is evolving.
3. Constructive feedback is essential — it should be specific, respectful, and mutual, supporting growth for both mentor and mentee.
4. Healthy endings matter — a thoughtful closure honors the journey, marks progress, and empowers the mentee’s next steps.
5. Reflection tools like checklists or closing letters help capture learning and bring meaningful closure to the process.