The benefits of mentoring have become almost clichés in the business world, but few studies point out the risks that also accompany the mentorship process.

Some of these include:

Value Risk: If the relationship is loosely structured, the mentee could discover that the mentor is taking credit for work that the mentor assigned to the mentee to complete.

Personal Confidentiality Risk: If either party "reveals" weaknesses to the other, without a formal agreement about confidentiality, both feelings and careers can be damaged. Two examples come to mind:

In the first, a mentee revealed to her mentor that she was hesitant about applying for a more senior position. The mentor casually shared this information with others in her network. Her intention was good, she was looking for advice about how to coach her mentee. Unfortunately, the hiring manager was in the group, and the information tainted the subsequent interviewing process for the mentee.

In the second case, the mentor had been instructed in the orientation sessions that part of the mentoring process involved revealing personal weaknesses. However, the mentee later talked to fellow students about the weaknesses that had been revealed.

Business Confidentiality Risk: Some assigned mentorship programs assign students to mentors from a variety of companies. When these students enter the workforce, they can become competitors with the mentors' companies.

All these risks can be mitigated by adopting a formal contract as part of the assigned mentoring process. Contracts can include specific confidentiality clauses, covering both business confidentiality and personal confidentiality. Contracts can also specify how assignments will be allocated, and how credit will be shared.

For each industry, specific areas of mentorship risk should be considered by those designing the program. If any risk areas are uncovered, it is better to develop a mitigation strategy in advance, rather than to jeopardize the mentorship program for everyone.

Jo-Anne McDowall, BA, MBA is a professional speaker, trainer and business consultant in Winnipeg Canada. Her mentorship workshop is entitled: Mentorship: Sharing the experience.

Contact: mcdowall@engineeringchange.com