Kelly Bayett, co-founder & creative director, Barking Owl
When working with a mentor, take the advice but also listen to your instincts. There are going to be times where your intuition will tell you something different than the advice you are getting, or the mentor will be jaded by their own experiences. Pay attention to that inner voice. It tells you everything you need to know.
Fern McCaffrey, svp, group account director, RPA
Your mentor may not retain all the details, so level-setting or reminding them of key things you're working on is good at each session/meeting. A mentor is uniquely able to help you understand the political and business context you are working within—and may feel more at liberty to share information than your own manager. Questions you might hesitate to ask your own manager could be great material for mentor conversations. It's ok to ask a mentor for guidance on small things like etiquette and dress code, as well as big things like how to approach salary negotiations or career progression.
David DeMuth, president and CEO, Doner
Soak it all in, the good and the bad. You can learn as much (perhaps more) from your mentor's failures as their successes.
