I recently concluded a twelve-week Global Mentorship Initiative (GMI) engagement with my mentee Getrude Jeruto.
Rather than documenting the mentorship itself or sharing personal moments from our conversations, I decided to create a practical primer. Mentorship conversations are sacred. They depend on trust, confidentiality, and psychological safety. Exposing them, even with good intent, often undermines the very conditions that made the work meaningful.
This write-up is therefore not a reflection on a single mentorship. It is a practitioner-oriented guide for anyone who engages in mentorship, whether formally or informally, with a particular focus on professional development within organizations.
The intended audience includes:
- Corporate managers
- Senior leaders
- Functional experts
- Professionals approached for guidance outside formal programs
The aim is to provide precise mechanisms for governing mentorship relationships responsibly, drawing on principles aligned with professional coaching practice.
Mentorship is often treated as informal and benign. In reality, it carries power and influence.
Mentorship affects:
- Career direction
- Confidence and identity
- Decision making under uncertainty
- Access to opportunity and networks
The most common failures in mentorship are not caused by bad intent. They are caused by:
- Unclear roles
- Unspoken expectations
- Lack of boundaries
- Over-reliance on the mentor
Structure protects both mentor and mentee.
Before offering guidance, pause and clarify what kind of relationship this is.
Questions every mentor should consider and often state explicitly:
- Is this a formal or informal mentorship
- Is this time-bound or open-ended ended
- Am I acting as a manager, mentor, advisor, or sponsor?
- What authority or influence do I hold over this person?
- What assumptions might they be making about outcomes?
Key principle: Unacknowledged power creates risk. Clarity reduces it.
A contract does not need to be written (but I do recommend that some expectations on behavior and outcomes be discussed and recorded!). It does need to be explicit.
At minimum, align on:
- Purpose of the relationship
- Topics that are in scope
- Topics that are out of scope
- Ownership of decisions remaining with the mentee
- Duration and review point
In structured programs like GMI, the container is provided. In informal mentorship, the mentor must help create the container.
This distinction is critical in organizations.
Mentorship involves:
- Perspective
- Reflection
- Sense making
- Skill and capability development
Sponsorship involves:
- Advocacy
- Use of influence
- Access to opportunities
Best practice guidelines:
- Do not imply sponsorship unless it is intentional and appropriate.
- Do not allow ambiguity around opportunity or outcomes.
- State clearly when sponsorship is not part of the relationship.
Clarity here prevents pressure and performance behavior.
Psychological safety is the foundation of learning and growth.
Mentors support safety by:
- Allowing uncertainty without rushing to answers
- Normalizing not knowing
- Challenging ideas without judging the person
- Making it safe to revise thinking
Common mentor mistakes to avoid:
- Over correcting
- Over advising
- Turning sessions into performance reviews
- Solving problems too quickly
Restraint is often more developmental than advice.
Frameworks can be powerful tools when used correctly.
Effective use of structure:
- Helps organize experience
- Reduces cognitive overload
- Builds transferable thinking skills
Ineffective use of structure:
- Encourages scripting
- Creates performance anxiety
- Reduces authenticity
Guiding principle: Structure is scaffolding, not a rulebook. It should be introduced, practiced, and gradually loosened.
Dependency rarely begins intentionally. It often masquerades as trust.
Warning signs include:
- What do you think I should do?
- I will wait until we talk.
- You always have the answer.
Responsible mentorship redirects ownership.
- Effective mentor responses:
- What options are you considering?
- What criteria matter most to you?
- What decision feels most aligned with your goals?
The mentee owns the decision. The mentor supports the thinking.
Good mentors know when not to intervene.
Restraint applies to:
- Advice
- Introductions
- Influence
- Emotional involvement
Mentorship is not about being indispensable. It is about being temporarily useful.
Every mentorship should have an ending.
A well-designed ending:
- Reinforces independence
- Encourages reflection
- Prevents drift and dependency
- Honors the work completed
In time-bound programs, the ending is built in. In informal mentorship, it must be named intentionally.
You do not need to be a certified coach to mentor responsibly. You do need:
- Awareness of power
- Clear boundaries
- Ethical judgment
- Willingness to exercise restraint
Formal or informal, mentorship shapes people; how it is designed matters as much as its intent.
This primer offers a practical standard for mentoring in organizations that strengthens capability, confidence, and independence without overreach or harm.
That is the responsibility mentorship carries.
