Mentoring Tradeoffs: Breaking into the World of Academe

Abstract

info@wcginc.net" AbstractMuch has been written in recent years on the subject of mentoring and many universities, organizations, and individuals have rushed to embrace the concept without thinking through what it means for the university, organization, mentor, and, most importantly, the mentee. This article is an examination of the various factors involved in the mentoring process. Knowledge gained, collaboration, situational learning, and social networking are discussed as key components of the mentoring process. As information was collected for this article, some of these comments were derived from extensive experience over several decades and more recently, comments from a recent professional business person who has just acquired a doctorate. For the seasoned academic professor, it was a time to reflect on the major issues of mentoring and to organize the discussion for this most important aspect of education, particularly focused on higher education. In the latter case, the purpose of gaining the terminal degree was to enter into academe, start a new career, and bring a wealth of business acumen and experience to the classroom for the ultimate benefit of students.

Mentoring Special Populations

“…Likely, one of the most difficult skills to acquire for the protégé is managing their cognitions and beliefs about success (Terry, DeMichiell, & Williams, 2009). Due to persuasive social expectations for failure by minorities in the educational system, many minorities have well ingrained thoughts and beliefs that anticipate failure.…”

Managing Perceived Coping Behavior While Mentoring Doctoral Students

“…Within the review of the personality compatibility issue, the authors discuss the importance of the compatible thinking styles between two persons to maximize the efficiency of process and adherence to deadlines. Terry et al (2009) cited that "personality factors do enter in the equation of collaboration and unconsciously, either or both of the workers should consider this aspect before commitment of any major effort" (p.10). This study researched the similarity or difference of thinking styles in terms of cognitive styles.…”