{"id":23593,"date":"2022-11-16T13:13:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T19:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?p=23593"},"modified":"2022-11-16T13:14:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T19:14:00","slug":"5-mentoring-mythbusters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Robyn W. Porterfield\u00a0and\u00a0Bob Rose,\u00a0Co-Founders, Rose + Porterfield<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s employees are looking for connection\u00a0to their workplace, learning opportunities, and career guidance. Formal mentoring programs fill that need, but common myths about mentoring persist:<\/p>\n

Myth #1: You have to have a plan.<\/strong>\u00a0Mentorship doesn\u2019t have to be a formal process. Consider having coffee and conversation with your mentee every week. Sharing your experience is the most important thing you can do for your mentee.<\/p>\n

Myth #2: You have to know everything.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t be afraid to share the biggest mistake you ever made (and how you learned from it). When you demonstrate transparency, your mentee will feel more comfortable opening up and sharing their own experiences.<\/p>\n

Myth #3: Age matters.<\/strong>\u00a0Modern mentors don\u2019t have to be older than you, just able to offer up a fresh perspective and great advice while acting as a sounding board. Reverse mentoring, for example, pairs older executives with younger employees for coaching on topics such as technology and social media. We all can learn from each other.<\/p>\n

Myth #4: It takes so much time.<\/strong>\u00a0In reality, you probably won\u2019t even notice the time you spend in a mentoring relationship, especially if you are flexible on timing. A quick phone call from a mentee seeking advice for an immediate business challenge is as invaluable (perhaps more) as a long in-person chat.<\/p>\n

Myth #5: You have to fix all the problems.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s tempting to keep your mentee from making mistakes, but it\u2019s often more valuable to give advice and let them act, even if it\u2019s not exactly what you would do. Remember, you are there to advise and allow them space to learn by doing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":404,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[18],"class_list":{"0":"post-23593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-training-today","8":"magazine_issues-november-2022"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Mentoring Mythbusters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Mentoring Mythbusters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TrainingMagazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Edited by Lorri Freifeld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TrainingMagUs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TrainingMagUs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Edited by Lorri Freifeld\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Edited by Lorri Freifeld\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6e3f4ece928900fd19a0aee81ee2195a\"},\"headline\":\"5 Mentoring Mythbusters\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\"},\"wordCount\":285,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Training Today\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Magazine Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\",\"name\":\"5 Mentoring Mythbusters\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Mentoring Mythbusters\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Training\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Training Magazine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/training-logo-544.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/training-logo-544.png\",\"width\":554,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Training Magazine\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TrainingMagazine\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/TrainingMagUs\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/training_magazine\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/lakewood-media-group-llc\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCBRVPGzg9czIhhjPcViYh-w\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6e3f4ece928900fd19a0aee81ee2195a\",\"name\":\"Edited by Lorri Freifeld\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d4c1cb907e28ffc78cc421a0991771013f75091e332c46ad306a6984ee767e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d4c1cb907e28ffc78cc421a0991771013f75091e332c46ad306a6984ee767e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Edited by Lorri Freifeld\"},\"description\":\"Lorri Freifeld is the editor\/publisher of Training magazine, owned by Lakewood Media Group. She writes on a number of topics, including talent management, training technology, and leadership development. She spearheads two awards programs: the Training MVP Awards and Emerging Training Leaders. A writer\/editor for the last 30-plus years, she has held editing positions at a variety of publications and holds a Master\u2019s degree in journalism from New York University.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.trainingmag.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/author\/edited-by-lorri-freifeld\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters","description":"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters","og_description":"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.","og_url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/","og_site_name":"Training","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TrainingMagazine","article_published_time":"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00","author":"Edited by Lorri Freifeld","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TrainingMagUs","twitter_site":"@TrainingMagUs","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Edited by Lorri Freifeld","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/"},"author":{"name":"Edited by Lorri Freifeld","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6e3f4ece928900fd19a0aee81ee2195a"},"headline":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters","datePublished":"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/"},"wordCount":285,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["Training Today"],"articleSection":["Magazine Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/","url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/","name":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-11-16T19:13:28+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-16T19:14:00+00:00","description":"Formal mentoring programs help connect employees to their workplace, but some common myths about mentoring persist.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/5-mentoring-mythbusters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Mentoring Mythbusters"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/","name":"Training","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#organization","name":"Training Magazine","url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/training-logo-544.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/training-logo-544.png","width":554,"height":150,"caption":"Training Magazine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TrainingMagazine","https:\/\/x.com\/TrainingMagUs","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/training_magazine\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/lakewood-media-group-llc","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCBRVPGzg9czIhhjPcViYh-w"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6e3f4ece928900fd19a0aee81ee2195a","name":"Edited by Lorri Freifeld","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d4c1cb907e28ffc78cc421a0991771013f75091e332c46ad306a6984ee767e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e8d4c1cb907e28ffc78cc421a0991771013f75091e332c46ad306a6984ee767e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Edited by Lorri Freifeld"},"description":"Lorri Freifeld is the editor\/publisher of Training magazine, owned by Lakewood Media Group. She writes on a number of topics, including talent management, training technology, and leadership development. She spearheads two awards programs: the Training MVP Awards and Emerging Training Leaders. A writer\/editor for the last 30-plus years, she has held editing positions at a variety of publications and holds a Master\u2019s degree in journalism from New York University.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.trainingmag.com"],"url":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/author\/edited-by-lorri-freifeld\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23593"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23662,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23593\/revisions\/23662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trainingmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}