A good mentoring relationship promotes trust and open, honest, meaningful communication. The danger is that this relationship may be interpreted as a more intimate one by either of the participants or an outside observer. This can lead to spousal jealousy, office gossip or hurt feelings. It is important to be aware of these possible pitfalls and guard against them. Gender Mentoring relationships between men and women can be subject to some unique complications.
Men tend to value hierarchical relationships, where as women tend to emphasize co-operative efforts.
Either of the participants may be unsure of what is appropriate behaviour with the opposite sex, and there is always the possibility of office gossip. All of these issues are manageable if addressed early in the mentoring relationship. Differences in Culture While this often refers to differences in personal culture, it can also be applied to differences in professional or corporate culture. In that situation, the mentor must be sure to take into account those differences when dispensing advice. In order for a mentoring relationship to succeed, it must be completely confidential.