What a mentor DOES
Listen: function as a sounding board for problems and ideas.
Criticize constructively: point out areas that need improvement, always focusing on the mentee’s behavior, never his/her character.
Support and facilitate: provide networking experience; share knowledge of the system; offer assistance where needed.
Teach by example: serve as a model for adhering to the highest values in every area of life.
Encourage and motivate: help mentees to consistently move beyond their comfort zone.
Promote independence: give their mentees every opportunity to learn by experience.
Promote balance: serve as a model for balance between professional and personal needs and obligations.
What a mentor DOES NOT do
Take pride in the success of their mentees:
recognize that students may rise to greater levels than those who trained them.
Protect from experience: do not assume the role of problem solver for the mentees
Take over: do not do what the mentees should be doing themselves.
Force: do not attempt to force a mentee in one direction.
Use undue influence: do not use a sense of obligation to influence the mentee’s professional decisions.
Lose critical oversight: do not allow friendship to shade over into favoritism.
Condemn: do not convey to the mentees that honest mistakes are career-altering disasters.
