The programming and mass-production of nurturing, developmental relationships is a risky endeavor. Mentoring is a relational art form built around learning, sacrifice and values. As with any true art form, it cannot be treated respectfully if it is reduced into the latest management or organizational fad. Effective mentoring requires a commitment of time to understand and to guide a prot g . It also requires the development of interpersonal and influential skills.
Good mentors ask many questions, both of themselves and of their prot g s.
Reflection is also a key element of effective mentoring. Each interaction with their prot g gives the mentor new data on which to chew. Each thought about the current challenges and future opportunities of their prot g gives the mentor pause to consider ways to be of better service. Reflective consideration by the mentor helps to insure that the mentoring process does not proceed in a rote, cookie-cutter fashion. There are six perennial questions that perceptive mentors regularly revisit.