Professional certified coach Wisdom, who is also assistant vice provost of faculty advancement at Duke University and a former professor of literature, delivers a book to help academics be good mentors. She lays out some of the difficulties that can arise and how to deal with them and also shares anecdotes from relationships between mentors and mentees that went wrong. Primarily focusing on positive actions that can be taken to form the best relationship, Wisdom describes the importance of mentoring with both backbone and compassion, explores the power dynamics in mentor-mentee relationships, and explains how best practices of professional coaching can add to the mentoring relationship. She also discusses the importance of self-care and not overextending oneself as a mentor. The book includes practical tips for mentoring students who aren’t pursuing the same kind of career as their mentor.
VERDICT A clear, practical, insightful guide about mentoring challenges and opportunities; will be useful to readers in academic roles.
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