Chapter Twelve

Negotiating Sound Mentoring Agreements

After the mentor and protégé have been matched, it is essential to prepare them for a sound, productive relationship. Almost all the questions or complaints I have heard from a mentoring pair could have been prevented by having a clear agreement. Once the basic development objectives have been determined, the mentor and protégé must negotiate an agreement for their partnership.

The success of the mentoring relationship is determined to a great extent by the clarity and reasonableness of this agreement. It does not matter whether it is a typed form or written on the back of an old envelope, or not written at all. The discussion must be clear and complete. Most of the issues that surface during ...

Get Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring: How to Facilitate an Effective Mentoring Process, New and Revised Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.