Читать книгу Practical Applications of Coaching and Mentoring in Dentistry - Janine Brooks - Страница 26

Mentoring is not typically a partnership of equals: managing the power relationship issue is important for success. Yet a high degree of trust, openness, and mutual regard is vital.

The power relationship between mentor and mentee should not be too close. The mentor should not be the mentee's line manager. A mentor who is more than two levels above the mentee constitutes too great a power distance in which the mentee may feel uncomfortable.

It's important to see the role of mentor as being just one half of what will be a powerful relationship, where the mentor is as likely to benefit and develop through the process as does the mentee.

An imbalance of power carries with it the potential for abuse of the relationship or exploitation. ‘Toxic mentoring’ is a term that describes using mentoring in a negative way where the mentee, and sometimes the mentor, can suffer detrimental effects.