July Question of the Month - Join the conversation and receive a badge

Sherry Fox

This one is tough, so many good answers!!! I will choose motivation

Leroy Noriega

Supportive

Colleen Patterson

Curiosity - one of the best elements to me of mentorship is someone that listens more than they speaks. That their goal is to understand your point of view, challenges, and dreams. This allows for their advice and insights to have great impact and timeliness than someone who is sharing generalized wisdom. How they experienced development can be an interesting story, but each person has their own journey and experiences that need to be taken into consideration and leveraged to their individual best advantage.

Brandon Sills

Respectful

khickman

Partner

lschroeder

Listener

I believe a good mentor has to be an active listener. If they are not listening, they won't be much help to you.

RebSchr

Accepting

virgh

Vision

They see where you are at now, and where you can go, and they know how to help you get there.

dminenna

Challenging

I fould the most value from my mentor when they challenged me to think and act outside my comfort zone….rather than let me sit in comfort. Growing and learning, many times, comes from a gentle push to do more than you think you are capable of.

Julia L Rumburg

ZESTFUL

I chose the word 'zestful' because it captures a quality I've found invaluable in the best mentors I've encountered. A zestful mentor brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to the relationship that can transform the entire learning experience.

When I think of my most impactful mentors, they didn't just passively share knowledge – they approached our interactions with a genuine zeal that made me excited to learn and grow. Their zest for their field, for teaching, and for my progress was palpable and motivating.

This zestful approach helped me push through challenges, sparked my curiosity, and made the mentoring process not just educational, but truly enjoyable. A mentor with zest doesn't just teach; they inspire and energize, leaving a lasting impact that goes beyond the specific skills or knowledge shared.

I believe 'zestful' embodies a key quality that can elevate a good mentor to a great one, making the mentoring relationship dynamic, engaging, and transformative

Deena Duran

Encouraging

I want my mentor to encourage me to reach goals that I wouldn't have previously thought I could. This is tricky because a mentor should also be trustworthy, inspirational, relatable, helpful, and more. Narrowing the list down to the top characteristic is challenging!

Kerry St. Thomas

Authentic.

A mentor teaches you what they know. They show you in a way that enables you to learn from them. They show you in a way that also enables you to teach them.

Vanessa Scott

Guide

Andy_B

Encouraging

Nicolas Goulinet

Encourage boldness

Two words ago, I'm out of the game :-)