5 Minute Paper: My Ideal Mentor

My ideal mentor is someone who knows when to let me learn for myself, but also knows when I need guidance, or provides guidance when I ask for it. See "How I Learn" -- I learn by doing. My ideal mentor is also someone who shares the big picture with me, even if it means I'm learning things that aren't directly applicable to the nuts and bolts of the job I am doing. Seeing this big picture, I find, actually helps me do my job better, and grow within and better understand my position within an organization. When I think of past and current mentors that I have had, there has always been a relationship of trust - trust that I will fulfill my duties in the best way I know how, trust that they will provide correction when I need it, trust that we will approach problems in an analytical and problem solving manner to meet our mutual goals. I have been lucky to have some wonderful mentors in my life.