Business Mentoring Matters

Most of us have probably seen the movie The Firm  with Gene Hackman and Tom Cruise. About 16 minutes into the movie, Gene Hackman approaches Tom Cruise and says, "I'm your designated mentor." Tom's reaction is one that indicates he doesn't really know what that means.

This scene brings up two key points about professional mentoring:

(1) Often mentoring programs are created without any provision to educate or train either mentors  or mentorees  in understanding what this mentoring relationship is designed to accomplish. This failure often derails relationships before they truly begin. It leads Tom Cruise to be suspicious on some level, yet he does trust his mentor to some extent, only to be betrayed down the road.
(2) The other point is this: not all mentors are good for you. If you want a mentor who is clever at cooking the books and taking advantage of his clients and you want to earn as much money as possible, then Gene Hackman is probably your ideal mentor. But if you're looking for someone with ethical standards to help you build a life of truth and service, then you should say, "Gene, thanks but I've already got a mentor." Sometimes mentors can be wolves in sheep's clothing.