By Gaby Marcon. Despite its supposed nine lives, the cat was killed by curiosity. This proverbial expression is used when trying to stop someone asking unwanted questions or when we want to invite somebody to mind their own business. What is associated with this saying is that being nosy and getting involved in unnecessary things can lead to problems. I would argue that in a mentoring relationship, curiosity opens doors and fosters originality of thinking.  If a mentor’s is able to facilitate a conversation from a position of curiosity not only he is enabling the mentee to think more creatively about possible options and outcomes but he/she is likely to enjoy the process much more. Both mentee and mentor are likely to experience an emotional engagement leading to better involvement, a more satisfying experience and ultimately, better results.

People who are curious are always learning and learning different things. We don’t need to have a great job or a resounding title to learn and stretch ourselves; we don’t even need to become university graduates to prove that we are learning. The reality is that we and only we can dictate our learning curve. A mentor is as good an enabler as his or her mentee is good at entertaining ideas and uncertainty.