Mentoring 101

Some things are better caught than taught. Working under the guidance of a mentor accelerates personal development and solidifies legacy.

I'd like to look at first century Greek culture to see what we can glean from their commitment to mentoring. One source is mythology and the other historical literature. Here is the first anecdote:

The word “mentor” comes from Greek mythology in the tale of Odysseus. When Odysseus knew he'd be leaving home for many years, he entrusted his son Telemachus to his friend Mentor. Mentor was not only Telemachus's guardian, but his guide, teacher, and surrogate father. This is the definition of the classic mentor, one who takes a protege under his wing, not for money, but because of some special connection between them.*

From that same period there is literature that summarizes this transfer of knowledge, but I'd like to change a couple words to make it relevant to the design community.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many [designers] entrust these to faithful [designers] who will be able to teach other [designers] also.

Let's make some observations from this single sentence:

1. The things refer to specific design ideas to pass onto others. Things about contrast, color, the grid, images (photography, illustration, pictograms, and symbols), visual weight, proportion, Fibonacci sequence, Swiss grid, etc. Mentoring is deliberate. The passing on of design principles and language.

2. Mentor, mentee, many designers, and faithful designers, others. How many generations of designers are represented in this single sentence? Four! Mentoring has a vision of four generations and the mentor is successful only when the forth generation is faithfully doing design taught to the second generation. Until the fourth generation is faithfully practicing the design principles and craft taught to the first generation designer, the mentor is not really successful as a mentor. This is a long view. You are not only passing on design principles, but the whole notion of being a good mentor! You are working yourself out of a job over and over. Reproduction.

3. "Entrust" is a key word. In the original Greek language this was a banking term. It meant to invest in with the expectance of return. Mentoring is deliberate and there is an expectation the design principles taught will be embraced, understood, practiced and passed onto the third and forth generations. The "returns" are more designers who flourish and the culture benefiting from good design.

4. "In the presence of many designers". Mentoring is both individual and in groups. The mentor does not mentor everyone but he/she mentors a few with the understanding they, in return, will mentor others. Some designers are not equipped to mentor. You can't give away what you don't possess. Mentoring in design presupposes a passion for design and other designers...caring about others and a commitment to their success. The mentor cares about more than design principles. He/she cares about people and passing on those principles, equipping designers for generations to come. Do you want to have cultural influence for generations to come? Think about giving away all your design secrets and knowledge so others will succeed and design communication will flourish.

5. "Faithful designers who are able to teach others also." The mentee must have certain qualities if generations will be influenced. He/she must be faithful to the mentor, faithful to design principles, and faithful to those he/she mentors. The mentee must also be available to the mentor, teachable, and have the desire to grow. Finally, the mentee must be able to teach...have soft skills to pass on things and make them stick. Creative directors and art directors have a vision and they're able to impart that to those under their guidance.

In these observations you see multiple generations. Mentoring becomes sort of a tradition, if you will. Design principles and craft skills are passed down from one generation to the next, person-to-person. A legacy is created and nurtured. You're being a good steward of your design gifts, talent, and knowledge.

Not every designer is a natural at mentoring, but you can learn. The first place to start is to be mentored. It's never too late. I'll build on this topic with future posts. You may have a passion for design but how much more is that passion when you effectively give it to others.

* Secrets of Design: Mentoring by Marty Neumeier, Critique: The Magazine of Graphic Design Thinking, Volume 10, Winter 1999, page 29.