Comments on: The hard part about being a mentor

By: Bobby

Bobby — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:28:03 +0000

I think that the internet has gone a long way toward amplifying the power of mentoring. While yesterday if might have been an older coworker or merely a wise neighbor, blogging in particular has made mentors of so many, and to so many. The difference is that I can have a financial mentor, a relationship mentor, etc, now. And it can be a true dialogue, just like the old face-to-face model. Interesting times.

By: Deb

Deb — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:23:17 +0000

Good point Paul – mentoring is a learning relationship on both sides.
AND – I agree with Jay too (it had to happen sometime!). It’s hard to let people make mistakes. But sometimes it’s necessary.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:49:10 +0000

I’ve had the privilege of mentoring both inside and outside of work, and I have to say that it’s always been rewarding, especially if it’s kids. I know this is probably cliche but I usually learn as much or more than they do.

By: Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:16:30 +0000

The hardest part of being a mentor is to recognize when the person you’re mentoring isn’t ready to listen to your advice. The best thing to do is to be patient, and if you feel it’s necessary, tell the person that: (1) you have given good advice to solve his/her problem, (2) the person appears to not be in the right frame of mind to act on your advice, and (3) that you’ll be there when he/she is ready to do so – THEN YOU LET IT GO. You can’t get upset when you encounter this resistance, and the worst thing you can do is berate someone into listening to you. They’ll end up tuning out ALL of your advice in the future.