Developing opportunities for effective mentorship in academia and other public health settings

Equilibrium Dynamics (EQD) is a personal development approach that employs the basic dynamics and fundamental principles of emotions (emotional competence) to promote self-awareness, self-development, relationship building including effective communication, and self–responsibility with sound judgment in complex situations (Flowers, 2005). Equilibrium Dynamics and emotional competence have been utilized in the training and career development of high achieving students, educators, physicians and other medical professionals, graduate students, and executive professionals for over 15 years.

Effective mentoring relationships allow for discussion of the mentee's experiences, questions, and career objectives, and the mentor's expertise and guidance regarding opportunities for development (Casman, 2002; Setliff, Porter, Malison, Frederick, Balderson, 2003). Through these interactions, projects and responsibilities can be more effectively matched to strengths and interests, which may enhance job performance, satisfaction, and retention of incoming employees. Mentoring can provide opportunities for smooth knowledge transfer between experienced staff and new employees. Ultimately, mentoring can be used to promote diversity in the workforce and foster career development within your organization. Using principles of emotional competence, this session will explore the role that mentoring can play in 1) enhancing individual skill development, 2) fostering productive communication between leaders and incoming associates, 3) dealing effectively with diverse management and work styles, 4) encouraging a collaborative approach to achieving organizational objectives.