Leading Through Mentorship: A Novel Peer Mentoring Model

Friesen, K. L., & Martinez, N. C. (2025). “Literally showing that I care about them”: A peer mentor leadership model. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2025(0), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20677

Introduction

Peer mentoring is often celebrated for its impact on first-year students, yet the leadership development of mentors themselves remains under-theorized. In a recent study, Friesen and Martinez (2025) address this oversight by developing a grounded theory model of peer mentor leadership. Drawing from narrative interviews with student mentors, they identified key leadership capacities fostered through mentoring: generativity, accountability, adaptability, and authenticity, framing mentorship as both a developmental and relational leadership process .

Methods

The authors used narrative inquiry and grounded theory to explore the leadership development of peer mentors serving in a first-year seminar at a small, private Midwestern university. Five of thirteen student mentors (all women, one student of color) participated in one-hour, semi-structured interviews at the semester’s end. Data were transcribed, member-checked, and analyzed inductively through open coding. Emergent codes were synthesized into themes, which informed a conceptual model of peer mentor leadership.

Results

Four interrelated themes emerged from the mentors’ narratives: generativity, accountability, adaptability, and authenticity. Generativity, a deep commitment to supporting new students, motivated participants to become mentors. Mentors emphasized wanting to ease others’ transitions and guide them through challenges they had once faced. Accountability involved setting expectations and structuring mentees’ engagement, with mentors using either authentic (collaborative, relational) or transactional (directive, consequence-based) leadership styles. Adaptability was demonstrated through real-time adjustments, such as changing class approaches or managing unforeseen difficulties. Finally, Authenticity underpinned mentor-mentee relationships, often built through humor, vulnerability, and informal interactions. These themes formed a cyclical model in which leadership development evolved through reflective adaptation and connection with mentees.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

The study highlights the need for intentional leadership training within peer mentoring programs. While many mentors displayed leadership instincts, they often lacked the language to describe their strategies. Programs should integrate relational leadership theory, reflective practice, and coaching on adaptive leadership. Mentorship can serve as a “leadership lab,” but only if practitioners support mentors in understanding and growing from their experiences.

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