In the present era of knowledge pursuit, mentorship is becoming more a driver of unending, often directional race for perfectionism and indicator growth, with little or no place for kindness, empathy and compassion. The chase of moving targets, the mantra of publish or perish, and time planning creates a virtual pressure cooker situation that may not necessarily nurturescientific excellence and intellectual growth. In pursuit of academic and research targets, the power of kindness, empathy and compassion is often underestimated. In fact, kindness and compassion should not be viewed as a luxury, but an integral component for social connect personal well-being as well as scientific progress. Can we build an ecosystem where people support rather than compete with each other, and ideas are not guarded by jealously but shared, and where cooperation wins over rivalry?If such engagements are normalised, similar would transcend in the mentor-mentee relationship. We could have a culture, where ideas and innovations are not directed but co-created. Kindness and compassion can transform the mentor-mentee relationship and the scientific output. It not only sparks creativity, but also promotes mental health and inclusivity.
Be Open to Diverse Ideas
Once a new student joins a research group, his choice of mentor is driven by diverse parameters such as academic and research profile of mentor, lab settings, student achievements and also the nature of social engagement. In many cases, none of these choices is relevant as mentors are allotted as per standing criteria in institutions. The journey of this mentor-mentee engagement starts, invariably by assessment of mentee by mentor and sharing of ideas about research area by mentee. This is the first step of demonstrating kindness, empathy and compassion by mentors. Here is the role of a good mentor to appreciate the fact that diversity of thought is paramount. We should celebrate diverse voices from mentees to make them feel valued and heard. Such an approach can be impactful by enriching the scientific discourse.
Few important areas where mentors need to realign their engagements with mentees are:
Look at the documents with empathy
The agreement on scientific journey of the mentee is followed be series of scientific documents prepared by him such as research abstract, synopsis, detailed technical programmes, seminars, dissertation and publications. Here the mentor should demonstrate due empathy in reviewing and rating those documents. If the mentors approach the review process with a feeling that behind every line the mentees are pouring their heart and soul, and are trying to rise above their struggles, we can, instead of blunt criticism, offer more constructive feedback for improvements in diverse manuscripts and science communications.
Don’t set deadlines, help them get over struggles:In the name of mentoring, we always overwhelm the mentees with deadlines. Here, we need to use the heart as it is easy for us to set the deadlines, however, it would be better to appreciate their struggles, and more empathetically provide them moral support to get over those struggles. Young people often suffer from imposter syndrome and self-doubt. Guiding them with empathy and kindness would help them overcome such challenges. We should listen them, rather than just hear them, and share our own experiences of tackling such challenges. Listening promotes respect for their emotions, and build their resilience, and a sense of belonging to mentors academic and research pursuits. This also helps them feel safe while takingrisks with exploring and executing new ideas.
Appreciate
In an increasingly competitive world, setbacks are common; few words of appreciation could be a game-changer. As a human instinct, everybody likes to be appreciated for good work. We can take a moment each day to appreciate even the small strides of progress towards scientific journey that will not only motivate the students towards greater effort but also improve their mental health. We can learn from desk rejections of some of the leading scientific journals which come with a bottom line “This decision is never an indication of the quality of the research” and “Hope the outcome of this specific submission will not discourage you from the submission of future manuscripts”
Demonstrate Kindness and Compassion
Goodwill spreads like wildfire and small random acts of empathy and kindness can trigger a culture, where everyone feels valued. Remember that kindness should be more than a polite gesture; it should be your mindset, where you treat the mentees with respect and empathy. Kindness builds trust, helps in resolution of disagreement and improves mentor-mentee engagement. Likewise, compassion should be at the heart of mentorship and involves active listening, and inclusivity, and helps mentees navigate struggles and setbacks.
Show Compassion in Disagreement
In any academic or scientific engagement, disagreements are inevitable, but a good mentor should handle situations of disagreement in a compassionate manner, with a focus on seeking to understand rather than seeking to be understood. We should seek to drop judgements, and work for a resolution through empathy and endurance, rather than any imposed resolution. The disagreements could be on methodologies, interpretations or perspectives, and an open dialogue with honest opinion and mutual respect could help navigate disagreements. Remember, mentors need not be judges but are essentially partners in scientific engagement.
Bottomline
Empathy, kindness and compassion is not pity. Having pity may often lead to non-action and does not necessarily mean a willingness to act andunderstand.Empathy, Kindness and compassion lead mentors into to Feeling with, Feeling for and Working for the mentees. Mentors should, however, be smart enough to avoid the Empathy Trap. Be sure that without empathy, you are no less as a mentor, no less kind or no less human, but it will just help you catalyse your support for mentees. Mentors should always have a clear perspective, and sometimes step out of emotional space. Just have a strong resolve and willingness to help mentees overcome their struggles. In many cases, even, non-action may be a good option, especially when your mentees just need to be heard. The most important trait as a mentor is to empower and enable your mentees and build their confidence to a level where they can solve their struggles themselves.
(The authors are faculty at SKUAST Kashmir)
