How to be a mentor in fifty-seven lessons.
5/31/2004
This is an everyday handbook cleverly modeled after Strunk & White's classic, The Elements of Style, reducing the principles of mentoring to a brief fifty-seven lessons, such as "select your protégés carefully" and "nurture creativity."
Authors Johnson and Ridley, both professors of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy and Indiana University, look at the mentor-protégé relationship from beginning to end, along with the risks and rewards involved.
So what makes a good mentor? In some cases, it is simply a matter of knowledge, selection, and skill. Know why you are taking on the role; select your protégé wisely; and above all, make sure you have the skills to be a good teacher, adviser, coach, and knight in shining armor.—Sara Grant