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The Oregon Surveyor
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Vol. 39, No. 5
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Featured Article
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A willingness to share failures and personal
experiences. Mentors need to share both their
“how to do it right” and their “how I did it wrong”
stories. Both experiences provide valuable oppor-
tunities for learning.
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A learning attitude. The best teachers have always
been and always will be those who remain curious
about learning. Because a mentor is more like a
teacher than a coach, this becomes an important
characteristic in a mentor. Would you rather be
advised by someone whose mind is shut (because
he knows all) or by someone whose mind is open
because they are always looking to deepen their
knowledge?
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A skill in developing others. This includes the very
real skills of listening, asking powerful questions
and being able to tell stories, which includes
personal anecdotes, case examples and honest
insight.
What Makes a Good Protégé?
Just as there are specific characteristics of a
successful mentor, there are attributes that make a
good protégé. This is important because protégés
must remember that mentors are doing this from
the goodness of their heart, so being a good protégé
is the best way to ensure the relationship enjoys a
healthy, purposeful existence. Protégés need to be:
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Committed to expanding their capabilities and
focused on achieving professional results.
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Willing to ask for help.
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Open and receptive to learning and trying
new ideas.
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Able to accept feedback—even constructive
criticism—and act upon it.
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Willing to experiment and apply what they learn
back on the job.
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Able to communicate and work cooperatively
with others.
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Be personally responsible and accountable.
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Ready, willing and able to meet on a regular basis.
How to Make it a Success
Mentoring is a joint venture. Successful mentoring
requires that both parties share responsibility for
learning and sustaining the relationship. Successful
mentoring begins with initiating the relationship,
and then, to steal a coaching term, “designing the
alliance.” This means all parties need to be clear
about what this relationship is going to look like and
how it will be managed. Both mentor and protégé
should discuss things like:
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Contact and response times
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Meetings
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Confidentiality
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Focus
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Feedback
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Goals and accountability
Mentoring vs Managing
Very often, in a formal mentoring relationship, your
mentor may not be your supervisor or even in the
same chain of command, but this doesn’t have to
pose a conflict, as long as everyone is clear about
their roles and expectations. The manager’s role in
employee development is always paramount and
should not be replaced or modified by an employee’s
participation in a mentoring program. Mentoring
is an additional and supplemental development
tool for organizations, while a managers’ essential
role is to support the professional learning process
while also monitoring an employee’s performance.
Managers fulfill a stewardship role in terms of
day-to-day direct authority and capacity building,
while mentors provide a broader and longer view that
creates a path to the future. Effective and confident
managers should take an active interest in the
mentoring process through endorsing experimen-
tation in a way that applauds new approaches and
permits the possibility of mistakes. Good managers
will also support and design learning assignments in
partnership with the mentor and protégé. If enrolled
in a formal mentoring relationship, it is always a good
idea to respect the differences between a supervisor
and a mentor and to openly discuss potential pitfalls.
Finding a Mentor
There are lots of ways to find a mentor. Check with
your company first; they may have a program or an
organization in mind. You can also check out profes-
sional trade associations and groups like SCORE, the
Service Corps of Retired Executives. The best place
to look for a mentor, however, is right in front of
you. Look around your workplace or your industry.
Who do you admire and respect? Who has always
impressed you with their insight and perceptiveness?
And finally, who do you feel drawn to? Consider