Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship in which a knowledgeable and skilled veteran officer (a mentor) provides insight, guidance, and developmental opportunities to a lesser-skilled and experienced colleague (a protégé).

Mentoring is not a new concept or practice. History abounds with examples of professional mentoring. Mentor was the name of the man charged with providing wisdom, advice, and guidance to King Odysseus’s son in the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey. During the Middle Ages, boys served as apprentices to masters in a craft or trade while gaining skills to eventually qualify as a journeyman and, finally, as a master. During this time, the mentoring relationship ensured the continuity and quality of the craft handed down to the next generation.