Characteristics of good mentors and proteges

 Speaking at a HRM conference on coaching and mentoring in organizations makes me want to write about Mentors and Proteges:
The protege is the one that understudies a mentor with a view to learning from him and emulating his best qualities. He is a person who is guided and supported by an older and more experienced or influential person. To do this the protege must have the following qualities himself:
-He must be goal oriented
-Should be motivated to take responsibility for self directed growth
-Active in seeking development opportunities
-Receptive to feed back and coaching
And he should have ambitions beyond his current role.
The mentor
-Should have the experience, skills and knowledge needed by the protege
-He should be able to listen and provide feedback and  coaching.
-He should be willing to take responsibility for the mentoring relationship
-He should be regraded as successful and have strong interpersonal skills.
-He should recognize the value of a diverse workforce.

   —As a mentor, your responsibilities are to

—represent the company’s values,

—give pep talks,

—offer instruction about your company’s political structure,

—influence decision makers to help your mentee, and

—provide contacts and resources

   —A mentoring relationship shortens your employees’ learning curve and increases productivity.

      Boris Yeltsin mentored  Vladimir Putin 
 Richard Nixon  mentored  George Bush (42nd President of the US)

  Condoleeza Rice mentored George W. Bush (44th President of the US)

•Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mentored Jesse Jackson

•   Elijah mentored Elisha (Israelite prophet)

•   Socrates mentored  Plato

•   Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great

•   Sir Keith Joseph mentored Margaret Thatcher

•   Margaret Thatcher mentored John Major

•   Lord Irvine mentored Tony Blair

•   Sidney Weinberg mentored Henry Ford