Meet face to face for your first mentoring session if at all possible. Discuss your backgrounds, experiences and interests. The mentor should explain how he got to the position he is in today and ask where his junior sees herself in five or 10 years' time. Establish what you expect from the mentoring relationship.
Set clear targets and plan the steps that will lead to reaching these goals. Mentors should advise on the suitability of suggested goals and provide strategies to reach them. Draw up a timetable of what needs to be done and review this periodically. Keep in contact through email and by phone and ensure regular meetings are arranged.
Discuss current situations and "what if" scenarios. A journal could be kept to highlight possible areas for discussion and both parties should come to the meeting prepared to ask questions and discuss problems. Study new developments together and talk about the impact on your role. The mentor should keep an open mind and accept that her colleague may have different ideas than her. The mentor should ask open-ended questions and encourage self-review.
You could attend a meeting or conference together and the mentor should encourage networking. It might be possible to organize a day of work experience or observation in a relevant field. The mentor might invite his colleague to be part of a specific project or undertake some research. Meetings could be arranged with people at a similar level so that peer-support occurs.
Examine the progress that has been made, review goals and achievements. Decide on next steps and build up a career plan. Discuss how the mentor might continue to provide support; this might be on an informal basis once the period of mentoring comes to an end. Congratulate and celebrate success.