This section is about being mentored. If you want to learn about mentoring others, there is a different note (Mentoring Students).
You must want to be mentored, not just because you have heard that it is a good thing to be mentored. You must want to be mentored by the mentor, not just because the person has been assigned or offered. There must be a value-added component. The mentor also must feel that the mentoring is worthwhile, and value is derived. There can be formal mentor-mentee relationships and there can also be very organic mentorships. Either option can work well.
There is short term mentoring that helps someone get through a specific situation or crisis, and there is long term mentoring that literally goes on for years and even decades. We are talking about the latter.
Being mentored does not mean that there is a major problem or issue with you. You can be mentored because you are self-aware and want to keep moving forward, improving. Unfortunately, some people view being mentored as a stigma, they believe that they need to show the world that they are so smart and omniscience that they do not need a mentor, or that they can get the necessary guidance from their peers. That is their problem, not yours.
Often there can be an age gap between the mentor and you; does not have to be, but does seem likely. The premise is that the mentor has been on similar quests, down the same road, learned a few things and developed ‘wisdom’. This takes time. It takes time to go through an experience and it takes multiple experiences to develop wisdom. There are reasons why wisdom is usually associated with the ancients. You must value this wisdom and while not all advice or thoughts need be followed or tried, the majority should be until the advice is shown to be flawed. Assume that the mentor might actually know what they are talking about and that they know more than you at first, and then you can use your own thinking in the next instance.
There are times the you will just want to chat about day-to-day thinking and choices. There are times that the topics will be more intense. There will be times that the mentor wants to raise a topic or issue. The mentor should have a good idea about where you have been, where you are now, and what the future journey might look like. The mentor will try to help you toward your goals, but this might not always be fun or valued in the moment. A good mentor will tell the you what the you need to hear, not what you want to hear. A good mentee understands this.
You must also be open to share your challenges and issues. The mentor cannot read minds or guess everything.
There must be a trust and value relationship between the you and mentor. You need to have a growth mindset and be open for advice. You have to believe in and trust the mentor in some way. You must respect the advice of the mentor and be willing to take the occasional “leap of faith” as the mentor pushes you. In short, reflect on the following: