Mentoring Should Hand the Next Move Back

A useful lesson about mentoring: support works best when it makes the learner’s next move clearer—not when it quietly makes the mentor responsible for it.

For one small project decision, a mentor can help map the options, ask what the learner wants to test, and agree on a check-in. The learner chooses and owns the next step; the mentor offers feedback at the agreed point rather than keeping the work afloat indefinitely.

That boundary doesn’t make the support less generous. It gives the learner room to practise judgment, and makes the mentor’s contribution sustainable. A shared purpose can connect people without making either person indispensable.