The mentor-mentee relationship dynamics

You get to choose your mentor; however, your mentor must also choose you as their mentee, which is what makes the relationship unique and powerful. There is a core set of skills that is shared between both a mentor and mentee, as shown in the following diagram:

Figure 6.2 – The mentoring skill model

Active listening, building trust, and goal setting; all three of these can be tied back to respect. A mentor must respect his mentee, and likewise, a mentee must respect his mentor. There are three stages to a mentor-mentee relationship.

In the first stage, you begin seeking advice from someone you look up to. At this point, the specifics of the relationship have not been defined, and you officially do not have a mentor. At this stage, you are really testing the waters of someone you feel has the potential to be a good mentor. A good analogy for this is dating; you go on a date with someone you feel might be a...