CHAPTER 2
The Context of Difference
Bringing Who We Are to What We Do
THE SAYING, “WE SEE THE WORLD not as it is, but as we are,” has been attributed to many sources—Anaïs Nin, Charles Lamb, and the Talmud, among others. As a mentor, it’s vital to be aware that no two people—including you and your mentee—see the world through precisely the same lens. Too often we make meaning through “difference filters” that blind us to our own biases and lead us to misunderstand people who are communicating with us through their own difference filters.
It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking our mentees are just like us. Yet it is far more likely that you will notice the differences between you and your mentee first—especially if he or she is from a different ...
