Often the best relationships were forged between wise young professionals who approached their mentors with openness and mentors who had perhaps reached a career plateau and for whom traditional career progression was no longer likely.

Seeing our own issues in the lives of others is a way of avoiding the anxiety involved in dealing with them directly. The process is known as projection in psychodynamic literature.

Reflective practitioner was a concept introduced by Schon (1983) who recognized that the ability to reflect on how work was being done was as important as doing the work itself.

Connection with others on a regular basis enables a more sophisticated part of the human brain, the social brain, to be involved in work and problem solving.