1. Remember Your Mentor is a Volunteer
First off, it’s important to remember your mentor is a volunteer. They have more experience in the field, and they are taking time out of their schedule to help you develop and grow, so there must be healthy boundaries and respect in your relationship.
This means as a good mentee, you should be aware of and minimize time wasters that occur during your meetings. Also ensure you show gratitude for the time and advice, and never act rudely or attempt to downplay their knowledge.
2. Take Responsibility for Your Own Learning
Your mentor cannot do everything for you, they can only give you tools and guidance. You must be willing to take charge of your learning by asking questions and actively participating in the conversations to become a good mentee. Plus, you should absorb all the knowledge you can as asking the mentor to repeat themselves frequently is a waste of their time.
3. Develop Trust
Your mentorship does not automatically establish trust between you and your mentor. It must be developed and nurtured. You will both need to work to establish trust at the beginning of the relationship. Having trust can opens up a channel of communication, which is important to the success of your mentorship.
4. Be Respectful of Your Mentor’s Time
Your mentor has a lot of room to help you but remember that they are likely a busy person. Again, be respectful of this by cutting out time wasters in your meeting, and make sure you give them plenty of notice if you need to cancel or reschedule a session.