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Thanks! That helps. I am trying to make a list of conversation starters and trying to see if there are general topics that I can discuss that helps either me or

Thanks! That helps. I am trying to make a list of conversation starters and trying to see if there are general topics that I can discuss that helps either me or both of us (if they are related to the organization). Can I ask questions about his job, decision making strategy, dealing with his bosses, dealing with budgeting for the entire org etc? Or is it not a good idea if I am in his org?

JohnFen 7y ago
> Can I ask questions about his job, decision making strategy, dealing with his bosses, dealing with budgeting for the entire org etc? I think that those are all valid questions to ask. In general, you should be able to ask anything of your mentor -- that's why they're there. If you ask something "out of bounds", your mentor will say so (or answer a related, in-bounds question instead) and, if he's any good, there won't be any repercussions. From having mentored a few people over the years, I can tell you that from my point of view, I've been impressed when people are inquisitive (even inappropriately so) and come prepared. It makes the mentor's job easier for a whole bunch of reasons -- some obvious and some not.