How to Mentor Anyone in Academia

by Maria LaMonaca Wisdom

A practical guide to the art of mentorship in higher education

Mentoring is integral to how academics are formed and what trajectories their careers will take. Yet until recently, no one was trained to do it, and many academics have ingrained assumptions about mentorship that no longer fit the lives, needs, and aspirations of mentees. How to Mentor Anyone in Academia shares proven techniques for the professional development of junior faculty, postdocs, and graduate students in today’s rapidly changing academic landscape.

Drawing on her experience as a professional coach who has worked closely with hundreds of students and faculty across the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, Maria LaMonaca Wisdom coaches readers in how to create their own signature approach to mentoring. She highlights the importance of honoring the unique backgrounds, values, and goals of mentees, and of self-knowledge and self-reflection for mentors. Through a series of “coaching moments,” Wisdom enables readers to reflect on a range of relevant topics, including empathy and active listening, clarifying expectations, balancing firmness with heart, being attentive to power dynamics, time management and setting goals, mentoring for careers beyond the academy, and self-care for both mentors and mentees.

Incisive and accessible, How to Mentor Anyone in Academia offers strategies and tools supported by the latest data on effective mentorship, helping mentors and mentees build dynamic relationships, identify what’s working and what’s not, and map out strategies for continued growth.

Genres: Science, Academia

280 pages, Hardcover

Published March 11, 2025

Reviews

[Michael L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is at least the fourth book that I have read about academic mentoring. Wisdom takes a fresh approach to mentoring: she emphasizes coaching as an alternative to advising. Whereas the advisor tells the mentee what to do, the coach asks questions that empower the mentee to plan their own goals and commit to their own solutions. Although Wisdom acknowledges briefly that some mentees need direct advice, she describes situations in which coaching is more appropriate because the mentor does not have relevant expert knowledge. These situations include faculty members who mentor graduate students for nonacademic careers, tenure-track professors who mentor non-tenure-track colleagues, and graduate student peers who mentor each other. Throughout the book, Wisdom addresses concerns of individuals from underrepresented groups, such as impostor syndrome. Chapter 6 on informal mentoring and Chapter 8 on humane mentoring are particularly valuable. Wisdom draws on some research on mentoring and on her own extensive experience, primarily as a staff member at a research university. The writing is straightforward, though marred by a surprisingly large number of misspellings, such as "proport" for "purport."

[Allison T · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thesis advisor had me read this book in our first week of working together to help me understand the purpose of an academic mentor and set higher expectations for one. While the book is mainly targeted toward the mentor, not the mentee, it is a quick read, and I was able to take away helpful advice: leading with my curiosity when I'm interviewing someone intimidatingly successful, or asking myself what the most confident person would do in a scenario. I needed to apply these concepts to academia, where I am less experienced and therefore less confident.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've read, to date, on academic mentoring.