What if to learn was the initial, guiding mindset of a mentor, not just an observation in hindsight? With this mindset, mentors not only share their experience and insights, but also share the conversation by being curious, asking purposeful questions and listening intently to the mentee. This creates a learning environment that helps the mentees discover the answers for themselves and to be open to new possibilities.

The result is that mentors "are more powerful role models when they learn than when they teach" -- to paraphrase Rosebeth Moss Kantor's quote about leaders.

A case in point is a senior executive at an international company, who mentored emerging leaders in a rotational mentoring program. Through the mentoring conversations, the executive learned about the many cross-cultural and cross-organizational challenges faced by people in the department. But because he asked many questions to learn more about these challenges, he also heard some innovative solutions to these issues. "Mentoring helped me get to know some people at a deeper level, which opened up conversations that wouldn't have happened before. In many ways, they mentored me," says this executive.

The potential benefits of the mentor as a learner impact the mentor, mentee and the organization.

• Mentee - feels listened to and valued; accountable for self-development; and able to discover their own path
• Mentor - gains new insights and understanding; doesn't feel pressure to have all the answers; and can listen for new possibilities
• Organization - encourages a learning culture that goes beyond the mentoring program

The powerful results of mentor as learner holds true whether the mentees are young people, peers or emerging leaders. In an international program designed to encourage high school girls to become leaders in their communities, successful professional women serve as mentors. Consistently the mentors report that the experience is rewarding because they learn so much from the young women - from new insights on cultural differences to visions about the future. In their training orientation, the mentors are encouraged to ask their mentees open-ended questions, to listen carefully and to be fully present in the conversation.

To embrace the concept of mentor as learner, ask these questions of yourself:

• What is it that the mentee wants to accomplish and how can I best support his/her goals as a learner?
• What do I want to learn from this conversation?
• Have I shut out all the distractions, so I can focus intently on the present mentoring conversation?
• Am I asking relevant, open-ended questions?
• Is the mentee doing most of the talking?