Have you ever been someone's mentor/been mentored?

As the thread title states, have any of you ever mentored someone/been mentored?

This seems to be a very popular thing in my field, where older, more experienced directors/managers will take a younger colleague under their wing.

While there have been times in my career where I have both given and received advice, I have never felt the need to enter a formal mentor/mentee relationship.

The reason I ask is that I was introduced to someone the other day, and the woman said "This is my mentor, Mr. X". I thought it was a strange thing to do, but apparently some people take mentor/mentee relationship very seriously.

So, how many of you have been a mentor and given people "bad advices"? (Pumping Iron reference). Seriously though, thoughts on the subject?

 

I was an apprentice for 3 years. My main mentor, or the guy who hired me, didn't do much mentoring, apart from showing me how not to be in this business. I had a couple other people who stepped up and taught me the industry who I hold in high regard.

I get a trainee in October to finish his apprenticeship, hope I am able to teach him something.

 

Yes and yes.

I've don't know that I've ever given really bad advice, but I've given very general advice that has been skewed out of context to mean something very specific and bad.

I try to give less instruction in my mentoring roles these days and instead point out how things will progress if a number of different paths are taken and let the person make the choice themselves.

 

Yes, currently from my workplace. Teaching me the steps in the field and giving me an experienced perspective outside of the workplace.

 

What is your field?

 

i'm in the shipping industry, as in physical cargo, not documents or packages.

I have nearly always worked on the ship owner side of the industry. so my job is to negotiate contract with clients to move their cargo from a to b on our vessels.

 

I'm a mentor for young homeless males

 

Yes to both

 

I've mentored several people in my working life - too many people are so protective of their knowledge - I am the opposite.

 

I've been mentored a couple of times.
I haven't fully mentored anyone yet.

 

Yes to both, its something that the Marine Corps encourages , we even have a progam in place for its guidelines.

 

being mentored.

thoughts : one of the best decisions of my life. I do not introduce him as my mentor when meeting someone.

 

Yes to both.

The hardest part about choosing a mentor is choosing a good one that will help guide you and be a resource for your future decisions. You'll want them to be a referral too. I think it's very valuable when done properly and taken seriously by both parties.

Ever hear of "the coaching tree" in sports like football? The head coach of the team has assistants, and they branch out to become head coaches, etc. A good head coach will train his guys to be independent and awesome away from his team, making a quality coaching tree. That's what a good mentor should be like.

 

Both mentored and been mentored.

 

Does grappling coach count?