The Elements of Mentoring » (Revised and Updated)

W. Brad Johnson is Professor of Psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Business and Education at Johns Hopkins University.

Charles R. Ridley is professor of Counseling Psychology at Texas A & M University and Co-Director, Research Core of the university's Center for the Study of Health Disparities. He lives in College Station, Texas.

Patterned after Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style, a comprehensive guide to fifty key elements of mentoring.

What Excellent Mentors Do: Matters of Skill 1
1 Select Your Proteges Carefully
2 Be There
3 Know Your Proteges
4 Expect Excellence (and Nothing Less)
5 Affirm, Affirm, Affirm, and Then Affirm Some More
6 Provide Sponsorship
7 Be a Teacher and a Coach
8 Encourage and Support
9 Shape Behavior Using Reinforcement
10 Offer Counsel in Difficult Times
11 Protect When Necessary
12 Stimulate Growth with Challenging Assignments
13 Give Proteges Exposure and Promote Their Visibility
14 Nurture Creativity
15 Provide Correction-Even When Painful
16 Give the Inside Scoop
17 Narrate Growth and Development
18 Self-Disclose When Appropriate
19 Accept Increasing Friendship and Mutuality
20 Teach Faceting
21 Be an Intentional Model
22 Display Dependability Traits of Excellent Mentors: Matters of Style and Personality 49
23 Exude Warmth
24 Listen Actively
25 Show Unconditional Regard
26 Respect Privacy and Protect Confidentiality
27 Tolerate Idealization
28 Embrace Humor
29 Do Not Expect Perfection
30 Attend to Interpersonal Cues
31 Be Trustworthy
32 Respect Values
33 Do Not Stoop to Jealousy Arranging the Mentor-Protege Relationship: Matters of Beginning 73
34 Carefully Consider the "Match"
35 Clarify Expectations
36 Establish Measurable Goals
37 Define Relationship Boundaries
38 Consider Protege Relationship Style
39 Describe Potential Benefits and Risks
40 Be Sensitive to Gender
41 Be Sensitive to Race and Ethnicity
42 Foster Mentoring Constellations
43 Plan for Change at the Outset
44 Schedule Periodic Reviews or Evaluations Knowing Thyself as a Mentor:Matters of Integrity 103
45 Consider the Consequences of Being a Mentor
46 Practice Self-Care
47 Be Productive
48 Resist Cloning
49 Make Sure You are Competent
50 Hold Yourself Accountable
51 Respect the Power of Attraction
52 Accept the Burden of Power
53 Practice Humility
54 Never Exploit Proteges
55 Balance Advocacy with Gate-Keeping When Things Go Wrong: Matters of Restoration 129
56 Above All, Do No Harm
57 Slow Down the Process
58 Tell the Truth
59 Seek Consultation
60 Document Carefully
61 Dispute Your Irrational Thinking Welcoming Change and Saying Goodbye: Matters of Closure 145
62 Welcome Change and Growth
63 Accept Endings
64 Find Helpful Ways to Say Goodbye
65 Mentor as a Way of Life References 155 Index 161