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Be socratic.

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Expect nothing in return (you’ll be delighted with what you do get back).

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Be authentic / practice what you preach.

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Be direct. Tell the truth, however hard.

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Listen too.

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The best mentor relationships eventually become two-way.

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Be responsive.

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Adopt at least one company every single year. Experience counts.

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Clearly separate opinion from fact.

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Hold information in confidence.

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Clearly commit to mentor or do not. Either is fine.

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Know what you don’t know. Say I don’t know when you don’t know. “I don’tknow” is preferable to bravado.

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Guide, don’t control. Teams must make their own decisions. Guide but never tellthem what to do. Understand that it’s their company, not yours.

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Accept and communicate with other mentors that get involved.

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Be optimistic.

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Provide specific actionable advice, don’t be vague.

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Be challenging/robust but never destructive.

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Have empathy. Remember that startups are hard.