Mentorship Guide

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The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

- William Arthur Ward

men·tor

noun: an experienced and trusted adviser.synonyms: adviser, guide, guru, counselor, consultant; confidant(e)

verb:advise or train (someone, especially a younger colleague).

Share.

Mentors are individuals with deep experience, and are willing to share their knowledge.

The Mentor Manifesto● Be socratic.● Expect nothing in return (you’ll

be delighted with what you do get back).

● Be authentic / practice what you preach.

● Be direct. Tell the truth, however hard.

● Listen too.● The best mentor relationships

eventually become two-way.● Be responsive.● Adopt at least one protégé every

single year. Experience counts.● Clearly separate opinion from

fact.● Hold information in confidence.● Clearly commit to mentor or do

not. Either is fine.

● Know what you don’t know. Say I don’t know when you don’t know. “I don’t know” is preferable to bravado.

● Guide, don’t control. Teams must make their own decisions. Guide but never tell them what to do. Understand that it’s their company, not yours.

● Accept and communicate with other mentors that get involved.

● Be optimistic.● Provide specific actionable

advice, don’t be vague.● Be challenging/robust but

never destructive.● Have empathy.

Source: http://www.davidgcohen.com/2011/08/28/the-mentor-manifesto/

What Is A Great Mentor?A great mentor sees a mentee as a person, not just an employee. They know enough about their personal life to understand the external factors that impact their work, and cares about their happiness.

“A great mentor is honest and unafraid to tell you hard truths about yourself and your work. They help you navigate the politics of your organization or profession, and avoid the landmines. They push you to take risks and aim higher, and advocates for you when you’re not there.”

- Pamela Ryckman, author of Stiletto Network: Inside the Women’s Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business.

Who are you, the mentor?

Start with a declaration. ● I am a mentor.● I am fully committed to your success.● I offer you the benefit of my experience without the weight of my

judgment or the expense of my service.● I open your perspective to possibilities that you might not otherwise see.● I create clarity so that the next action becomes apparent.● I recognize that I have no decision rights with respect to your venture.● My success comes not from being right or showing you how much I know,

but solely from your success.

Source: http://workabilityblog.com/articles/2013/how-exactly-do-i-be-a-mentor/

Core BeliefsA list of core beliefs that must be true (for you), and without which you cannot be a successful mentor. In circumstances where these beliefs are not true, it will be very difficult for you to have a positive effect as a mentor. These may be simple rules, but could be restated as beliefs. Customize and create your own.

Here are a couple of examples:● I may not know the answer.● Listening is more important than speaking.● Those I mentor gain the most when I am truthful.

Source: http://workabilityblog.com/articles/2013/how-exactly-do-i-be-a-mentor/

Good mentoring is hard.

Mentoring is about establishing a protected, trusting environment in which your protege will feel free to quickly dig into the important issues, expose doubts and shortcomings and be disposed to make real progress.

Source: http://freddestin.com/2012/03/startup-mentoring-the-socratic-way.html

Oh, and remember..

Have fun!

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Reuven.Cohen@citrix.com

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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.-- ROBERT FROST