Kirsti Coghlan, human resources director for Mauch Chunk Trust Co. in Jim Thorpe, gave key points to having a good mentorship relationship at a recent Carbon Chamber Women in Business luncheon.

Coghlan said mentorships are “voluntary developmental relationship between an experienced employee and a less experienced employee. The mentor is an employee with useful knowledge and skills who can be a trusted adviser and counselor.

“The mentee is the employee with the developmental needs who has potential for growth. The mentorship should help both the mentor and the mentee. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s not one-sided.”

• A mentor needs to always maintain the mentee’s privacy and confidentiality. Mentees are generally new to the industry or the environment and they want to know that they can speak freely and can make mistakes as they learn.

• Coghlan said a mentor should help mentees create a realistic plan and achieve their goals.

“Provide your mentee with open, candid feedback while requiring them to solve their own problems,” she said. “Sometimes, we get in the habit of ‘let me show you how to do this’ instead of ‘show me how you’re doing it.’ Sometimes helping to feel that they have a safety net to practice and make mistakes is the best experience they can receive.”

• A mentor can also help to gently nudge a mentee out of his or her comfort zone.

“Giving them a stretch is excellent. We all feel uncomfortable at times, but how many times have you looked back and thought, ‘You know, I never really wanted to do that, but boy, I’m glad I did,’?” she said. “Give them the little stretch. Give them the safety net. Let them try, and give them the encouragement and support that they need to be successful.”

• Gives mentees the connections and resources in business they can rely on in the future.

“Set them up for success. Get them in front of the right people,” she said.