How to be an Effective Mentee

Here are some things the mentee can do to make the mentoring connection successful.

*The mentee has to want to be a partner in the mentoring connection. To that end, they prepare and do the appropriate "homework" for meetings with their mentor. They work to gain the skills, knowledge, and abilities to grow. They’re flexible, listen to their mentor, and consider new options. They take initiative, seeking the mentors advice when needed. And they focus on the goal, not getting lost in the process (if it isn’t clear, they ask the mentor how the process leads to the goal).
*The mentee has to know and be able to discuss their needs and objectives with their mentor. This means that he or she has to look inside themselves to identify areas that may need work and share them with the mentor.
*The mentee must take responsibility for his or her career and goals. Although they have the benefit of the mentor’s guidance, they are responsible for their own path. The mentor may guide the mentee on the path to earn a promotion, for instance, but it is the mentee who must earn it.
*The mentee needs to be able to receive feedback and look at the situation from the mentor’s perspective to gain a more objective viewpoint. One of the biggest values of the connection is the ability to have a more experienced person’s viewpoint; sometimes when it is our own situation we are looking at, we cannot see the forest for the trees.
*The mentee has to be willing to try new things, to consider different ways of "getting there from here."
*The mentee has to periodically assess the progress of the relationship, letting the mentor know when priorities must be reset.

http://www.uscg.mil/leadership/mentee.htm