How to Be a Good Mentee

Mentors like to pass on advice and help someone progress, especially if they perceive a similarity to the "mentee," the person being mentored. However, it is important to recognize that mentors aren't compensated for their time and effort, plus typically there are many people seeking their advice. Mentors can be selective-choosing you or no one.

Especially at first, a relationship is fragile, so treat your mentor with respect, be on time for meetings, get together at times convenient for him or her, listen carefully, look professional, ask smart questions, follow up with how it went and otherwise show that you appreciate the extra time and effort (and are worthy of it).

As the relationship grows, think about what you can do to be helpful to your mentor. Best not to get involved in corporate politics as you could unintentionally be problematic. When you know the person, small things can be very helpful-for example, one SVP uses a personalized DC map (marked with key locales) her mentee created. Another mentee created summary profiles of fellow speakers for me when my staff was swamped with other activities. Don't overdo it, but do show appreciation.

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