Reflections on Two Years of Our Mentor Mastery Program: What We’ve Learned

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly two years since we launched our Mentor Mastery Program—a program we absolutely love running. Working with mentors and leaders to help them grow to the next level, and in turn helping clinics create more sustainable outcomes, has been incredibly rewarding.

I want to share some key lessons we’ve learned over the last couple of years working closely with mentors in the health industry. I’ve got a little list to guide us through the main points, so let’s get into it:

1. Being an Amazing Clinician Doesn’t Mean You’re a Great Mentor

One of the biggest misconceptions I had early on was thinking that just because someone is a fantastic clinician, they’d naturally make a great mentor. That’s simply not true. Being a mentor requires a completely different skill set.

When I first stepped into mentoring, I felt I had to know the answer to everything — which is impossible and stressful. This led me down a path of imposter syndrome, wondering if I was even the right person to be mentoring others.

Great mentoring isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about helping the person in front of you grow by encouraging critical thinking, reasoning, and independent learning. If you keep handing out all the answers, you might feel good temporarily, but you’re not truly empowering the person to develop their own skills.

2. Mentoring is a Skill That Can Be Learned and Developed

If you’re a business owner or clinic leader thinking, “No one on my team is a good mentor, and I’m not one either,” don’t worry. Mentoring is absolutely a skill you can learn and improve.

The core of good mentoring is guiding someone to think through problems and find their own solutions, rather than simply giving them the answers. Most people have the capacity to solve their own challenges—they just need encouragement and the right questions to unlock that potential.

Teaching your team this skill means you’re building future leaders who won’t always have to come back to you for every decision. This helps your business grow sustainably and prevents you from becoming a bottleneck.

3. Not Every Senior Therapist Should Be a Mentor — And That’s Okay

Many clinicians think the natural next step after years of experience is to become a mentor. While experience is valuable, mentoring isn’t a career progression everyone should take.

It’s crucial that the person genuinely wants to be a mentor because it requires patience, emotional intelligence, and a willingness to tackle difficult conversations.

Mentoring isn’t just about clinical knowledge — it’s about coaching someone through their growth, including delivering constructive feedback and supporting them through challenges. Not everyone finds this role comfortable or enjoyable, and that’s perfectly fine.

4. Navigating the Evolving Relationship Dynamics is Key

When a team member moves from being a peer to a mentor or leader, the relationship naturally shifts. This change can be tricky to navigate for both parties.

Giving tough feedback can make mentors worry about losing friendships or creating tension, and mentees might misinterpret feedback as criticism or negativity.

The goal is to manage this evolving relationship thoughtfully, with clear communication and empathy. Feedback should always come from a place of care and growth. Avoiding these conversations can lead to bigger problems down the track, including staff turnover.

5. Tough Conversations are Essential — Don’t Avoid Them

One of the hardest skills mentors need to develop is the ability to have difficult conversations. As health professionals, we tend to care deeply and want to protect feelings, which can cause us to soften or avoid necessary feedback.

But avoiding these conversations ultimately does more harm than good. Honest feedback, even if tough to hear in the moment, helps people grow and succeed in the long run.

We’ve made mistakes in the past by holding back feedback, and I can tell you firsthand how damaging that can be — not just for the individual, but for the whole clinic.

If you want some practical tools on how to have these tough conversations, check out our videos on the Clinic Mastery YouTube channel — they go through lessons learned and examples of how to handle them well.

6. Fair Remuneration for Mentors is a Must

Mentoring takes time and effort, and often that means mentors are not seeing clients and generating revenue in the usual way. It’s crucial to have a fair and reasonable remuneration structure that reflects the value of the mentoring role.

Think about how much someone would earn seeing clients, and consider how you can compensate your mentors fairly to make it a win-win for everyone involved.

Investing in your mentors this way not only rewards them but also frees you up to focus on higher-level business priorities.

7. Mentoring Takes Time — Be Patient and Invest in the Process

Building a strong mentorship culture doesn’t happen overnight. On average, it takes about 9 to 12 months to properly train someone into a mentorship or leadership role.

Remember how challenging it was when you first stepped into leadership? It’s no different for your team, so investing in the right training, ongoing support, and mentorship programs is essential.

Without this, your new mentors will feel overwhelmed and risk falling into imposter syndrome, leading to burnout or disinterest.

Final Thoughts

If your goal is to build a clinic business that isn’t overly reliant on you, mentoring and leadership development is a vital piece of the puzzle. It gives you freedom — to spend more time with your family, travel, or simply step back knowing your clinic is in great hands.

I hope these reflections from our Mentor Mastery Program help you think about how you approach mentoring in your clinic.