Mentors are meant to be trusted and experienced advisors. They are not people who got it all right. They are individuals who have learned lessons and have adjusted from the lessons they learned.
As a mentor to students, I have learned a few things:
“Seek to understand first, take your time, learning goes both ways”
Stephen Covey taught us that highly effective people seek to understand before they are understood. The goal of a mentor takes on the same dynamic. My position is not to teach a student to be like me, it is to understand their issues and help them navigate from their current position.
Time is a luxury most of us do not have, but it takes time to break through to people who do not trust you or believe they need you. Rushing through a process like this can be detrimental to the process.
I am a life-long learner. I have learned more from my students than I ever thought I would learn. This experience changes both of us!
I offer workshops on a variety of topics designed for our young people. A few of my favorites to deliver are: There are Levels to This Friendship Thing, The Connection Within and Cliches and the Falsification of Information.