The Mentoring Manual

Chapter 6

Pitfalls for the less experienced traveller

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

In this chapter:

• Learn the potential pitfalls that can reduce your overall effectiveness as a mentor, namely:
  • placing yourself under too much pressure
  • having a personal agenda (strategising)
  • allowing the idea of being a ‘mentor’ to suggest superiority or prestige
  • low levels of engagement
  • avoiding dependency/mutual dependency.
• Consider your own situations in relation to these pitfalls, e.g. ‘How is that relevant for me?’
• Create reference points for yourself, e.g. ‘What to do when …’

Let’s look at some natural barriers or blocks on your own journey towards becoming an effective mentor for others – I’m calling them ...