Friday, June 4, 2010

Mentoring and Real Life


My colleague, Laura Allen, created the WAIP mentoring program early in 2009. Since that time she has displayed an uncanny gift for matching Glenn Fellows with Ohio State alumni possessing a rare combination of tour-guide and coaching skills, plus the capacity for friendship. And so our Fellows have been extremely well served by the program, though Tom Fox of the Partnership for Public Service cautions that the best mentoring occurs informally. Here's the money quote:
Okay, the first rule of mentoring is, you do not talk about mentoring. Most people who look for mentors make the mistake of asking someone to be their "mentor." It scares people off. It's like asking someone to marry you on a first date.

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