Because the benefit of mentoring will sometimes involve a long-term change which is not always easily recognizable during the gradually evolving relationship, the mentor may remain uncertain if the attempt to identify discrepancies was worth the possible interpersonal risk. In some cases, however, anticipating immediate mentee feedback to confirm the usefulness of confrontive interaction may not be a realistic expectation.
The mentor may truly need to allow the passage of time to occur, along with a continuing review of needed changes and ongoing encouragement and support, before the genuine value to the mentee’s personal and professional development becomes clear.
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