Ingredients for Effective and Ineffective Mentorships

Mentorship: When it works and when it doesn’t

A healthy mentoring relationship is:

• practical
• useful
• challenging
• fun
• inspiring
• motivating
• active (both parties engaged)

There needs to be:

• compatibility between mentor and mentee
• clear expectations
• clear boundaries
• clear communication
• goals
• respect for differences
• investment of time and energy (mentor and mentee)
• honesty
• trust
• openness
• accommodation of difference
• respect
• generosity
• enthusiasm
• deep listening
• confidentiality
• humour
• healthy risk taking

A successful art mentorship needs to be focused on art.

Ingredients of an unhealthy mentoring relationship include:

• lack of trust
• lack of confidentiality
• infrequent contacts (time not invested)
• lack of focus/goals
• lack of guidelines/parameters or guidelines not respected
• incompatibility of mentor and mentee
• lack of preparation
• disorganization
• unchecked power dynamics
• insensitivity to race, ethnicity, gender, class, ability, etc.
• unclear communication
• unrealistic expectations
• mentor incompetence (technically or relationally)
• boundary violations (can include problematic attraction)
• jealousy
• unresolved disputes