When I see clearly that I perceive through my own lenses and clearly understand those lenses, I am more able to help students see and understand their lenses. Expanding the capacity of a mentee to do the same promotes competence, inspires confidence, and enriches the learning experience. A relationship that involves self-observation and feedback requires preparation. This tilling of the soil sets the arena for the mentoring relationship. The arena, of course, is never really set.
Arenas are always a work in progress.
We revisit and broaden our arenas as we go along. I prefer to go a step further with mentees than Zachary does in the preparation phase. I guide my colleagues into a self-examination question that probes the ontology of our commitment to the learning process. To begin, I share the attributes that I wish to manifest. Depending on the circumstances and the challenges I face in the mentoring relationship, I may say that I am willing to be supportive, appreciative, empowering, vulnerable, and creative.