General Rules for Mentors and Mentees

"Mentoring is the cultivation of young adults, the tender caring for and nurturing of them so that they will grow, flourish, and be fruitful."

Each mentee should be able to make progress toward meeting unique goals, and each mentor should be able to use their strengths. No two people will get the same benefits. Every mentoring relationship, structured or informal, senior, peer, or team should abide by a few simple rules:

1. Confidentiality

If you want to build a trusting relationship, it is critical that you maintain confidentiality. If they give you permission to share information, this is not an issue. However, you must remember that anything you are told in confidence cannot be shared.

2. No-Fault End of Relationship

It is rare that people want to end a relationship. Try to resolve concerns and conflicts early on, so problems that can derail your progress don't have a chance to fester. If you do have to end the relationship, be professional and discuss the termination. It may be slightly uncomfortable, but it is important to honor and respect each other.

Please refer to the Troubleshooting Your Mentoring Relationship page and follow those guidelines prior to ending your relationship.

3. Participation in Monitoring and Evaluation Process

Create benchmarks for evaluating the success of your mentoring relationship. Check in with each other, and don't assume that if things are working for you, everything is fine with your mentor/mentee.