Myth-busting MentorsBy Colleen Clark

In Greek mythology, Mentor was a mythic educator.

In our time, a mentor is a person with more experience who takes responsibility for helping someone with less experience to develop needed knowledge and skills.

The story goes...

Mentor was a guy the king liked so he left him in charge of his house and his son while he went off to seek fame and glory.

Basically, Mentor was a glorified wife. He did fine until the real wife showed up and boy was she mad!

Mentor put in a ton of work and got nothing in return. And the kid forgot all about him after Dad came back.

*Yawn*

But take out the Greek...

• All mentors are created equal• Mentoring is time-consuming and complicated• Mentors are older and more experienced• Mentoring is something you get asked to do• Mentors are responsible for our development • Mentoring is hard work

Myths

What does mentoring look like today?

• The world needs more womenteers

• We can make a meaningful difference in the rate of change whenever we decide to do it.

MYTH All mentors are created equal

TruthMentoring is not the same as Womenteering

Womenteering:Women volunteeringto help each other achieve more meaningful outcomes.

Mentor MomentWhat was I doing when I felt the greatest need for a mentor?

MYTH You have to plan ahead to have a mentor

TRUTHWhen the Mentee is ready, the Mentor appears

(usually on LinkedIn)

WTH?

MYTH Mentors are older, smarter and more experienced than me.

TRUTHAt any given time, you are smarter and more experienced.

(depending on the situation)

• The old model of mentoring is too narrow.

Needs that might make us look for a mentor:

• Finding an authentic voice• Mustering the courage to take a

risk• Creating more powerful

partnerships with peers• Navigating corporate culture,

politics, etc.• Gaining perspective and objectivity

on a tough situation

Experiment

Five ways to start a conversation with a future mentor:

• Introduce yourself and lead with your need

• Ask the Universe, one person at a time• Cold-call • Fish where the fish are• Start at the top

Suggestions

Secret #1

To get a better mentor, ask a better question

Secret #2

To be a better mentor, ask a better question

Exactly who is responsible for your development?

One more myth:

The last word:

EASY

Life is hard.Make mentoring easy.