ABSTRACT
A good mentor is able to see things from multiple perspectives, and each mentee brings new expertise and experience to the relationship. It is helpful to hear that someone else has experienced difficulties on the road to tenure and survived them. Part of this sense of safety comes from strict confidentiality and protection of the mentee’s privacy. This can be a tricky component when mentoring within the department as it is important for the department head to monitor and assess the efficacy of the relationship, and this must be done without putting that sense of safety at risk. In some ways, mentoring a new colleague inside mentors' department is more difficult than mentoring one outside mentors' department. Colleagues within a department may be in competition for limited resources. The interdepartmental mentor will know the history of the department but may need to find a tactful way to communicate the history and culture of the department to the mentee.
