The Elements of Mentoring

by W. Brad Johnson, Charles R. Ridley

Patterned after Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style , this reference concisely summarizes the substantial existing research on the art and science of mentoring. The Elements of Mentoring reduces this wealth of published material on the topic to the fifty most important and pithy truths for supervisors in all fields. These explore what excellent mentors do, what makes an excellent mentor, how to set up a successful mentor-protégé relationship, how to work through problems that develop between mentor and protégé, what it means to mentor with integrity, and how to end the relationship when it has run its course. Succinct and comprehensive, this is a must-have for any mentor or mentor-to-be.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Leadership, Professional Development, Relationships

146 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2004

About the author

W. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of gender in the workplace, mentoring, cross-gender allyship, professional ethics, and counseling. His most recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2020, with David Smith), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (Harvard Business Review, 2016, with David Smith), The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition, St. Martin;s Press, with Charles Ridley), and On Being a Mentor (2nd edition, Routledge Press).
wbradjohnson.com
workplaceallies.com

Reviews

[Jes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Cried a little bit on an airplane reading it.

[Isabelle G · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was recommended to me by my boss, as I start supervising my own mentees. It is quite useful to get informed about fundamental principles of mentoring, but I might have been expecting more original takes. Still a great book!

[Lance McNeill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for active mentors

All active mentors should have this book as reference material. It might be too narrowly focused for more casual reading. I also found a lot of repetitive lessons as one theme crossed over another.

[Mark Roossinck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The material was generally good - a wealth of information about mentoring. The stories and key components was a good touch, drawing the reader in through the stories, and helping them create a mental summary. There were two aspects that brought down my rating. The first was that the language seemed to have a technical ring to it. It is possible that this work was intended to reach those in higher education or upper management, but the real hook would have been to make the language more readable for any level regarding mentoring. And the other reason was that the list style of presentation seemed to make the reading mundane. And maybe that was the only way to really get all the material into a book.

[Kevin Eikenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take two psychology professors intensely interested in a topic and you wouldn’t be surprised that they might collaborate on a book. Make that interest on the topic of mentoring and you might be interested in that book, but worried it would be too academic. Then you find out that these two professors take their inspiration and writing style from (I’d say as their mentors), Strunk and White, and their classic book, The Elements of Style. The result is this slim and powerful book.

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[Tri Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and concise book on mentoring meant to mimic the classic Elements of Style by Strunk and E.B. White. It has quick summaries on best practices and things to consider when playing the role of mentor. Not a deep book but is a decent quick reference for ideas on how to be the proper support for a mentee. The seven sections are What Excellent Mentors Do, Traits of Excellent Mentors, Arranging the Mentoring Relationship, Celebrating Diversity, Knowing Thyself as a Mentor, When Things Go Wrong, and Welcoming Change and Saying Goodbye.

[David Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for any thinking of or already in the mentorship space.

[Bala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on a specialized topic. Highly recommended for those who love mentoring.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a little out-dated in terms of mentoring and where we are now, but points out some key facts along the lines of listening and creating a well-maintained balance.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book to skim for tips and tricks, but overwritten

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, concise, to the point and full of helpful examples. Must have on the shelf of any mentor.

[Lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a protégé in a formal mentorship program, I truly enjoy this book, and I am convinced that my mentor has read it as well.

[Donncha Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very comprehensive.

[Pam Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recommendations were pretty basic common sense, at best. I suppose it's good to lay these concepts out all together, but I think most people with any inclination to do any mentoring would figure these out with just a little thought.

This book was recommended to me by our youth pastor, as he was looking for mentors for young adults. If he'd read this book first he'd realize it doesn't work that way. Mentors and proteges can't be assigned. His idea was for us to meet and see if there was chemistry, but the book says good mentoring doesn't begin until a much observation and thought.

One thought I did like - the mentor chooses to initiate the mentor/protege relationship, and very selectively.

One thought I didn't like - the author only casually mentions the potential for attraction and subsequent temptations. HELLO! Oh by the way choosing a protege of the opposite sex can wreck your marriage. Duh.

My best idea culled from this book - now I use the term protege instead of apprentice or, humorously, 'mentee'. I always knew those both sounded wrong, but I was more concerned with good mentoring than good vocabulary.

[Eric Phetteplace · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a low-level book, this could help someone become a good mentor. But it fails to take the larger picture into account at all, never addressing the most salient criticisms of traditional mentoring or noting how to start/integrate a mentoring program into the larger scheme of professional development activities at an institution. E.g. in “choosing a protege,” the authors suggest selecting someone similar to yourself and with “obvious talent.” Thus those most in need of mentors—people who are socially isolated or not blatantly talented—never receive them. I also found the italicized situations to be incredibly cheesy. I stopped reading them because they were so tautological (here's my point, and here's something I made up that proves it!).

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the revised (2008) version where the authors have now grouped 6 themes and 65 key elements of mentoring into one relatively thin and easily readable book. Overall, I thought the authors did a good job covering all bases on how to be excellent mentors. As a nurse, some of the information seemed too cut-throat business-oriented, instead of the nurturing, caring, and collaborative mentoring relationships.

[Steven R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a practical book that covered a wide variety of important topics for mentors. The examples given before each key element were well written and seemed realistic. The only challenge I had with this book is the obvious slant toward education, though there were plenty of corporate examples too. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in upping their game as a mentor or becoming a mentor.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, I didn't read the whole thing, but it was a good book. Just didn't fit the situation I'm in.

[Delhi Irc]

Location: PTI IRC
Accession No: DL027454

[Lisa Braun]

Read Jul 26 2012 to Jan 24 2013
Rereading in 2019

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me see a new world, even with parenting.
Goal setting and positive reinforcement.