Article: Establish positive mentoring relationships: Pick the pair, clarify expectations, then stand back and let the partnership develop. (Focus on Training & Development).

"I wanted to help a young woman get ahead," recalls Nicole Hayden, general manager for a commercial real estate company in Dallas. "What I did was create a gigantic mess that's really turned me--and my company--off mentoring."

Hayden reached out to a young receptionist, a move her company sanctioned. "I saw she had potential but also a lot of problems," she explains. "I knew she needed a break and I thought I could help." Hayden wanted to teach the young woman duties beyond the narrow scope of her job description. "I was grooming her to move up in the organization," she notes.

Then the protege, a single woman, became pregnant. "Everything changed ...

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