Pass It On

In the best mentoring relationships, everybody learns

- Karen Stiller

MY SISTER MIRIAM is the pickle lady of New Annan, N.S. On a Friday afternoon last fall, the smell of bubbling brine filled her kitchen, and clean, empty mason jars lined her counter. She was ready to host a pickle-making session for two neighbours who had always wanted to preserve vegetables but didn’t know how.

For those few hours, Miriam was a mentor to her friends, a skilled guide sharing her own knowledge to empower others a little further along on a particular journey. The trio made salsa, pickles, relish and a batch of very good memories. “The minute we stop sharing and learning from others,” says Miriam, “we stop growing.”

While mentoring is typically associated with office settings and career advancement, anyone could be a mentor. We can share our skills in our kitchens and backyards, over the phone or online, and within our already-established friend groups.

A mentoring relationship can last a lifetime or it can be clearly defined in time, scope and definition, such as a few hours of intense pickling. Whatever the case may be, it’s likely we all have beneficial skills, advice and hard-earned lessons to pass on to someone else—just as we all, in turn, have a list of things we’d like to learn or areas in which we would love to grow.

If you’re ready to start mentoring (or to be mentored), here are some insights from mentors and mentees alike to help it go well right from the start.

Establish Ground Rules