Reflections on a mentoring relationship

Mentee's perspective (Michalina Mazurczyk)

When I started at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine 10 years ago, I had very limited experience of working in a research facility. I was given an extraordinary opportunity to help set up a new Mass Cytometry facility alongside the Academic Lead, who was also my manager. My role was to build the reagent base, develop protocols, grow the user base, and manage the equipment and space. I had strong support from my manager and their lab, full training, and a solid technical background. I was enthusiastic and brought a can-do attitude.

What I did not know how to navigate was the wider environment: managing relationships, planning my own development, and shaping my career. Being busy and doing your job well is one thing; knowing where you want to go and how to get there is another.

Very early on, I asked a senior lab manager from another facility to mentor me, and we began meeting regularly. Sometimes I brought real issues to the table: managing workload, prioritising tasks, dealing with equipment problems, and so on. He created a calm and open space where I could ask, 'Am I doing this right?' and 'What is it that I cannot see in this situation?' At other times, we talked about how things were going in our respective facilities and discussed where the field was heading.

These conversations gave me confidence. In a safe and supportive setting, I was able to develop my sense of agency and independence. I then used that confidence to engage more actively in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine (RDM) as a member of the Career Development Committee (SSO required), and in the wider University, as a Technician Champion, and to help build the UK mass cytometry community. I built a strong track record, progressed formally in my role, and had the courage to ask for promotion.

The fact that my mentor was a technical staff manager made all the difference, because he brought a technical perspective and understood that progression routes are not always obvious or easy. He knew about formal processes that I did not. For me, mentoring became a shortcut: someone pointing me directly to the resources I needed at the right moment, helping me get unstuck, and helping me stand on my own two feet.

Mentor's perspective (Paul Sopp)

When I first considered joining RDM's Mentoring Scheme I recalled my first few weeks in Oxford...WIMM, RDM, NDM...lots of acronyms ending in 'M', and not forgetting MHU and TIDU/HIU...it was all a bit confusing! Despite having a good support network and working in science for 30 years, my contacts in Oxford were few and far between. It would have been very helpful to talk with people in similar roles to my own – essentially to be mentored for a short period until I could establish my own roots. With this is mind it was an easy decision to sign up to the scheme to share some knowledge, experiences and contacts.

Clearly the scheme is designed to help mentees by placing them with people working in similar disciplines or with transferable technical and managerial skills, but mentors can benefit too. Just by listening, it is possible to better understand issues that do not only affect the mentee, and this can be helpful in managing and working with other staff. Above all, it is rewarding to see the mentee's career develop and see them fulfil potential.

Join one of the mentoring schemes available

• Join the RDM Mentoring Scheme (SSO required)
• Join the UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy (ITSS) mentoring scheme