1. Mentoring Style

Does my mentoring style focus on structure or support?

The Mindset(s)

Authoritative mentoring blends two things at once:

  • Support: warmth, care, and responsiveness toward your mentees.
    • Survey item: “How important is it to you, as a mentor, to build good relationships with your mentees?”
  • Structure: clear routines, expectations, and follow-through.
    • Survey item: “How important is it to you, as a mentor, to set clear expectations for how your team works together?”

Polarity: Structure ↔︎ Support.

This chapter looks at structure and support through two lenses. Your dimensional preference comes from a 40-point budget, where valuing one more means valuing the other less, so it captures which way you lean. Your type comes from your rated skill on structure- and support-related mentoring competencies, which are measured independently, so you can be high or low on each.

Measures:

  • Mentoring Style Values Inventory (importance-rated; adapted from Ertesvåg, 2011). Eight items, four per subscale, rated 1–10 under a 40-point budget.
  • Mentoring Competency Assessment (Fleming et al., 2013), skill-rated 1–7. Selected items form an independent support-skill and structure-skill composite (see Your Type).

Your Dimensional Preference

Because the eight budget items share 40 points, Support and Structure trade off against each other: every point you add to one you take from the other, and the two always total 40. So this score is not “how much” of each you value in absolute terms, but which way you lean.

Use your password to find your score(s).

1. Mentoring Style: your Support and Structure point totals (out of 40)
Password Support Support (%) Structure Structure (%) Preference
AARYA0510 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
ABBYS4444 26 84% (high) 14 11% (low) Support-leaning
APPLE4293 19 9% (low) 21 86% (high) Balanced
ARIGA0622 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
ARTEM1225 27 91% (high) 13 6% (low) Support-leaning
ASOBI3022 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
AVATG0607 25 81% (high) 15 17% (low) Support-leaning
Aster2306 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
BEARS1223 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
BINGS1234 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
BKNYC1616 28 95% (high) 12 2% (low) Support-leaning
BREES2018 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
BREIT3219 26 84% (high) 14 11% (low) Support-leaning
CAKES2713 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
CALLA1223 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
CCHEN1209 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
Corgi2016 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
DMgie8191 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
FIRST2007 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
Flack7890 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
GALES9090 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
GONZA2007 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
GREAT3333 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
HOLLY2550 19 9% (low) 21 86% (high) Balanced
Haeun1029 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
Henry6789 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
JJNKV2226 27 91% (high) 13 6% (low) Support-leaning
KHANM7116 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
LARRY7733 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
LIMES1217 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
LOVES1206 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
LUNAS6002 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
MARKO0706 26 84% (high) 14 11% (low) Support-leaning
MOLLY1206 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
MOLLY8174 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
MRMLC8607 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
Mochi2906 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
Nevan2005 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
PETAL2141 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
Paris1258 19 9% (low) 21 86% (high) Balanced
Pools5678 26 84% (high) 14 11% (low) Support-leaning
RAYAS9214 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
ROBIN0827 32 100% (high) 8 0% (low) Support-leaning
ROCKS0507 19 9% (low) 21 86% (high) Balanced
Roses0808 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
Rosie1007 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
SAMIA0267 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
SMILE1974 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
SPAHN2026 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
STEVY3792 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
Steve1234 20 16% (low) 20 75% (high) Balanced
TACOS0510 22 36% (mid) 18 52% (mid) Support-leaning
TATER2560 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
TEACH3291 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
TEETH5157 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
TILDA6348 28 95% (high) 12 2% (low) Support-leaning
Trees4311 23 50% (mid) 17 42% (mid) Support-leaning
VIBES1439 18 0% (low) 22 92% (high) Structure-leaning
VRXAZ1127 27 91% (high) 13 6% (low) Support-leaning
YGITJ2954 21 27% (low) 19 66% (mid) Balanced
YonaG2026 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
ashes2007 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning
buckl2105 25 81% (high) 15 17% (low) Support-leaning
press6028 28 95% (high) 12 2% (low) Support-leaning
valve8250 24 59% (mid) 16 20% (low) Support-leaning

Locate Your Preference

Locate your preference relative to other peer mentors! The axis is the points you placed on support (structure is 40 minus that): the far left is all structure, the far right is all support, and 20 is a balanced split.

Your Type

Structure and support are two dimensions that result in four mentoring styles. Neither dimension is “good” or “bad” on its own; it is the combination that describes how you show up as a mentor:

Low Support High Support
High Structure Authoritarian: high expectations, little warmth. Clear and demanding, but mentees may not feel safe asking for help. Authoritative: high expectations and high warmth. Clear structure that mentees experience as being on their side.
Low Structure Uninvolved: low on both. Mentees are largely left to themselves. Permissive: warm and caring, but loose on expectations. Mentees feel supported but may drift.

Unlike the budget above, your type comes from how skilled you feel at two independent sets of mentoring competencies (from the Mentoring Competency Assessment), so all four combinations are possible.

  • Support skill: assessing mentee knowledge, estimating mentee ability, enhancing mentee skills, and building confidence.
  • Structure skill: setting clear relationship expectations, aligning expectations, and helping establish work/life balance.
1. Mentoring Type: your MCA support- and structure-skill composites (1–7)
Password Support skill Support skill (%) Structure skill Structure skill (%) Type
AARYA0510 5.00 62% (mid) 3.33 5% (low) Permissive
ABBYS4444 4.25 33% (low) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritarian
APPLE4293 6.00 89% (high) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
ARIGA0622 5.75 84% (high) 7.00 100% (high) Authoritative
ARTEM1225 4.25 33% (low) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritarian
ASOBI3022 3.75 17% (low) 4.33 27% (low) Uninvolved
AVATG0607 4.75 52% (mid) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
Aster2306 5.25 72% (high) 3.33 5% (low) Permissive
BEARS1223 3.50 14% (low) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritarian
BINGS1234 4.50 45% (mid) 5.00 52% (mid) Authoritative
BKNYC1616 6.00 89% (high) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
BREES2018 5.00 62% (mid) 4.33 27% (low) Permissive
BREIT3219 5.25 72% (high) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
CAKES2713 4.75 52% (mid) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
CALLA1223 4.75 52% (mid) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
CCHEN1209 5.00 62% (mid) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
Corgi2016 4.00 20% (low) 3.67 9% (low) Uninvolved
DMgie8191 5.25 72% (high) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
FIRST2007 5.75 84% (high) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
Flack7890 4.50 45% (mid) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritative
GALES9090 2.00 0% (low) 2.67 0% (low) Uninvolved
GONZA2007 4.75 52% (mid) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
GREAT3333 3.25 8% (low) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritarian
HOLLY2550 4.00 20% (low) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritarian
Haeun1029 4.50 45% (mid) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
Henry6789 3.50 14% (low) 3.67 9% (low) Uninvolved
JJNKV2226 4.75 52% (mid) 4.00 16% (low) Permissive
KHANM7116 4.75 52% (mid) 4.33 27% (low) Permissive
LARRY7733 3.25 8% (low) 4.33 27% (low) Uninvolved
LIMES1217 4.00 20% (low) 4.33 27% (low) Uninvolved
LOVES1206 3.00 5% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
LUNAS6002 4.25 33% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
MARKO0706 5.00 62% (mid) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritative
MOLLY1206 4.50 45% (mid) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritative
MOLLY8174 3.75 17% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
MRMLC8607 6.00 89% (high) 6.33 94% (high) Authoritative
Mochi2906 5.75 84% (high) 6.67 97% (high) Authoritative
Nevan2005 5.50 81% (high) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
PETAL2141 4.75 52% (mid) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritative
Paris1258 5.25 72% (high) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
Pools5678 5.50 81% (high) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
RAYAS9214 5.25 72% (high) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
ROBIN0827 3.25 8% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
ROCKS0507 4.00 20% (low) 4.33 27% (low) Uninvolved
Roses0808 4.25 33% (low) 5.00 52% (mid) Authoritarian
Rosie1007 6.50 98% (high) 6.33 94% (high) Authoritative
SAMIA0267 4.00 20% (low) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritarian
SMILE1974 5.25 72% (high) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
SPAHN2026 4.00 20% (low) 4.67 38% (mid) Authoritarian
STEVY3792 4.25 33% (low) 5.00 52% (mid) Authoritarian
Steve1234 3.00 5% (low) 3.33 5% (low) Uninvolved
TACOS0510 6.00 89% (high) 6.00 81% (high) Authoritative
TATER2560 3.25 8% (low) 4.33 27% (low) Uninvolved
TEACH3291 6.50 98% (high) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
TEETH5157 4.25 33% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
TILDA6348 4.00 20% (low) 4.00 16% (low) Uninvolved
Trees4311 2.75 2% (low) 2.67 0% (low) Uninvolved
VIBES1439 6.25 97% (high) 6.67 97% (high) Authoritative
VRXAZ1127 6.00 89% (high) 5.67 72% (high) Authoritative
YGITJ2954 2.75 2% (low) 2.67 0% (low) Uninvolved
YonaG2026 4.25 33% (low) 5.00 52% (mid) Authoritarian
ashes2007 4.00 20% (low) 3.67 9% (low) Uninvolved
buckl2105 4.25 33% (low) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritarian
press6028 5.00 62% (mid) 5.33 58% (mid) Authoritative
valve8250 5.00 62% (mid) 3.67 9% (low) Permissive

Each dot is one peer mentor. The dashed lines are the class medians on each skill, so “high” and “low” mean relative to your classmates. Find your Type in the table above, then find your quadrant.

NoteYour type is a snapshot, not a fixed type

The median split means roughly a quarter of the class lands in each quadrant by construction. If you sit close to a dashed line, small changes in a few answers would move you. Each quadrant is a rough approximation of your balance between structure and support. This is not a fixed type! You can build skill on either dimension and move from one quadrant to another over time.

Reflect and Plan

WarningJournal
  • Score: How does reflecting on your score help you think about who you are as a mentor?
  • Behavior: To be the best mentor you can be, what is one new thing you will try to do this week for mentees and/or your team?
TipDuring Class
  • Make note of how you provide mentees with both support and structure before, during, and after class