Mentorship in Human Performance Healthcare: How to Develop and Support Your Team

Great healthcare teams don’t just happen—they are built. As a leader in human performance healthcare, one of your most important roles is to mentor and develop your team. The best health professionals are not just clinically skilled—they are also engaged, motivated, and continuously learning.

Effective mentorship doesn’t mean micromanaging. It’s about providing guidance while fostering independence, helping your team develop mastery, and ensuring they feel fulfilled in their roles.

This article explores four essential strategies to structure mentorship in a way that maximizes team engagement, professional growth, and job satisfaction.

 

 

1. Structure Mentorship—But Keep It Flexible

A well-defined mentorship program should provide direction and consistency yet be flexibile enough to allow personalization to individuals’ needs.

Research shows that structured mentorship improves engagement (Eby et al., 2013), but overly rigid programs can feel restrictive. The best approach is a blend of structure and adaptability.

 

Best Practices for Structured Yet Flexible Mentorship:

• Create a formal mentorship plan – Set clear expectations and goals for both mentors and mentees. This ensures progress is intentional, not just reactive.
• Use multiple mentorship models – Consider:
  • One-on-one mentorship for personalized development.
  • Peer mentoring to encourage shared learning.
  • Reverse mentoring where junior professionals provide insights to senior staff (e.g., tech advancements, new treatment approaches).

• Allow for informal check-ins – A structured program is important, but some of the best learning comes from casual conversations, debriefs, and team discussions.

 

Action Step: Establish a monthly mentorship check-in, but encourage ongoing informal discussions to maintain engagement.

 

 

2. Foster Autonomy and Mastery

People are most motivated when they feel autonomy, competence, and connection. This is outlined in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985). In healthcare, professionals thrive when they have control over their learning, opportunities to master their craft, and a strong sense of team belonging.

 

How to Apply Self-Determination Theory in Mentorship:

• Give mentees ownership of their learning paths – Instead of dictating what they should learn, let them set personal and professional goals.
• Provide challenges that promote mastery – Assign tasks that are difficult but achievable. Stretching skills in a supportive environment enhances confidence and competence.
• Encourage team belonging – A sense of community fosters engagement and retention. Create a team culture where knowledge-sharing and peer support are valued.

Action Step: Encourage team members to set personal development goals and discuss them in their mentorship check-ins.

 

 

3. Incorporate Reflective Practice

The best healthcare professionals don’t just gain experience—they learn from it. Encouraging reflection helps your team make better decisions, refine their skills, and grow as professionals.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984) emphasizes learning through reflection, action, and application.

 

How to Implement Reflective Practice in Mentorship:

• Encourage case-based reflection – Have mentees reflect on specific athlete cases to identify lessons learned.
• Use debrief sessions – After key events (injuries, competitions, treatments), facilitate team discussions to analyze what worked and what could improve.
• Promote continuous learning – Encourage team members to document and share key takeaways from challenging cases or new treatment approaches.

Action Step: After major events (e.g., post-season, after a significant injury case), hold a team debrief to encourage reflective learning.

 

 

4. Make Mentorship Purpose-Driven

High-performing healthcare professionals aren’t just driven by external rewards—they are motivated by a sense of purpose (Gawande, 2014). They want to know their work matters.

 

How to Reinforce Purpose in Mentorship:

• Align mentorship with a larger mission – Emphasize how mentorship contributes to athlete success, long-term health, and performance longevity.
• Show how each role impacts the bigger picture – Connect individual contributions to departmental and organizational goals. When people see how their work fits into a larger purpose, they stay engaged.

• Celebrate progress and impact – Regularly highlight team successes, from small improvements in athlete performance to major breakthroughs in care.

Action Step: During mentorship sessions, discuss how individual growth is contributing to the overall success of athletes and the team.

 

 

Conclusion

Effective mentorship in human performance healthcare isn’t about control—it’s about empowerment. By providing structured yet flexible support, fostering autonomy, encouraging reflection, and reinforcing purpose, leaders can build engaged, high-performing teams.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Structure mentorship but keep it adaptable – Use formal plans and informal check-ins.
• Encourage autonomy and mastery – Let team members take ownership of their learning.
• Use reflection as a learning tool – Implement case reviews and debriefs.
• Make mentorship purpose-driven – Connect growth to athlete success and long-term impact.

 

What’s one mentorship strategy you can implement this week? 

 

Mentorship is one of the ten pillars for success in human performance healthcare teams. Explore the other pillars here.

 

References:

Eby, L. T., Allen, T. D., Hoffman, B. J., Baranik, L. E., & Sauer, J. B. (2013). Predicting mentoring relationship quality and outcomes: A meta‐analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 277–299.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice Hall.

Gawande, A. (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Metropolitan Books.