Merits of a great mentor

I have an amazing mentor.

In fact, I actually don't have just 1, but 2 key people in my life who have been great mentors throughout my 9 or so years of experience in design.

One, has been with me since I left Uni and came back from my 3 year stint in Japan. He was the co-founder of Blast Radius and was, and still is, one of the most insightful and creative individuals I have ever met. Not only did he take the time to listen to me for sometimes up to an hour on my long list of "things I want to do", he tried to bring structure to my thinking and gave me countless questions to ponder upon.

The other doesn't quite know I view him as a mentor as of yet. I do intend to ask him one day but for now I will learn by working alongside with him and request to be placed on projects he leads. He's a great creative and a respected leader. Works well with both internal and external stakeholders and never "sweats the small stuff".

It has got me thinking what key qualities make a great mentor? For me, it's

1) Dedication and Commitment
They are passionate and committed to always pushing themselves to be better and do better in their industry. They are also passionate about Design and how they can do their part to making the world "a better place".

2) Approachable
Both of my mentors are easy going and are great communicators. They're also great listeners. One of them is a bit on the serious side and the other could probably pass for a stand-up comedian.

3) Humble
I speak to one mentor at key points in my life and career path. On average, I would say we check in about once or twice a year. He's busy gallivanting the world, much like I did and now has a family so I don't place too much expectation on regular communication. But he has always been honest with me about his experiences and mistakes which really helps me with my situations.

4) Eager to share
Always willing and available to share experiences, articles, blogs, and even sample documentation.

5) Forward-thinking
Not only do they push me to think of the next two steps in my career, they also constantly push themselves -- thinking of new and innovative ways of doing something or raising thought provoking issues around UX, Design and SM.

I'm so grateful to them -- I just hope I'm as good a student!