Setting Clear Expectations

The relationships that go the distance almost always have something in common: both people knew what they were signing up for. Ambiguity about goals, frequency, and expectations is one of the most common reasons mentoring partnerships lose momentum or end prematurely. A deliberate first conversation sets the foundation for everything that follows.

Your First Meeting

The first session has a specific job: getting to know each other and agreeing on how the partnership will work. Resist the temptation to dive immediately into substantive topics before you have laid this groundwork.

A useful first meeting agenda:

1. Introductions (15 minutes): Share your backgrounds, career paths, and what brought you to this program. Leave room for the other person to respond and ask questions. The goal is genuine connection, not a resume recitation.
2. Goals and hopes (20 minutes): What does each person hope to get from this relationship? Mentees should share the specific areas where they want to grow; mentors should share what they are hoping to offer and what kind of partnerships energize them.
3. Logistics (10 minutes): Agree on the practical details before you leave the first session (described below).
4. Session guide (remaining time): Work through the Session 1 guide together if time allows.

Defining Success Together

One of the most useful questions to ask in the first session: "What would make you look back on this partnership and say it was absolutely worth it?"

The answers are often more specific than people expect, and they point directly to what the relationship should prioritize. A mentee might say, "I want to have had at least three conversations with people in roles I am aspiring to." A mentor might say, "I want to feel like I genuinely helped someone avoid a mistake it took me years to figure out."

Write these down. The partnership agreement is a natural place to capture them.

Agreeing on Logistics

Before you finish the first session, align on:

• Meeting frequency: Weekly, biweekly, or monthly? The program sets a default cadence, but the pair can adapt within that.
• Session length: 30 minutes or 60? What works for both schedules?
• Scheduling approach: Who is responsible for sending the calendar invite? Do you set up a recurring block or reschedule each time?
• Preferred communication channel: Email, direct message through the platform's Connect feature, or another channel? What is the expected response time for messages between sessions?
• What to do when life intervenes: Agree in advance on how much notice is appropriate for a reschedule, and who takes responsibility for rescheduling.

Settling these in session one means you will never have a low-stakes "sorry, is now still good?" exchange again.

Using the Partnership Agreement

The platform generates a partnership agreement when your match is activated. It is a shared document that captures commitments and expectations in writing.

Do not treat it as a formality. Use the first session to read through it together, add any specifics that reflect your conversation (what success looks like, how you will handle conflict, topics that are in scope and out of scope), and then both sign it.

A signed agreement is not legally binding; it is a mutual commitment that makes it easier to hold each other accountable and to revisit expectations if things drift.

Setting Boundaries

Mentoring relationships work best when both people are clear about what is in scope. Useful things to discuss:

• Topics: Are there work topics that are sensitive given your relationship (if you work at the same company)? Career frustrations that involve mutual colleagues? Set expectations about how you will handle these.
• Time outside sessions: Is the mentor available for a quick question between sessions, or is the relationship limited to scheduled meetings?
• Confidentiality: Be explicit about the confidentiality commitment, especially if you have overlapping professional networks.

Mentors, it is appropriate to be direct about your own limits. "I am comfortable helping you think through your career strategy, but I am not well-placed to give advice on salary negotiation at your specific company" is a useful boundary that keeps expectations realistic.

Revisiting Expectations Over Time

The expectations you set in session one will not necessarily hold for the full program. Goals get achieved, priorities shift, and the relationship itself evolves. Build in a deliberate check-in every few sessions to ask: "Is the structure of our meetings still working? Is there anything you wish we were doing differently?"

This kind of maintenance prevents the slow drift where sessions start to feel obligatory rather than generative. If the rhythm needs adjusting, adjust it together rather than letting dissatisfaction accumulate unspoken.