The Mentor Index

Over the years I have been mentored by many people, too many to name. I have also had the chance to mentor many others.

I think about mentoring the way academia uses the h-index:

1. Sort your papers from most to least cited.
2. Walk down the list. Stop when the rank number exceeds that paper’s citation count.
3. Your h-index is the rank just before that.

Example: if your 48th paper has 72 citations and your 49th has 27 citations, your h-index is 48.

Mentoring has a similar shape in the number of significant mentor/mentees relationships. Here’s how it could work, step by step:

1. Sort your mentees from largest to smallest number of mentees they have (assuming that data existed).
2. Walk down the list. Stop when the rank number exceeds that person’s mentee count.
3. Your mentor‑index is the rank just before you stopped.

No one formally measures mentorship this way but it highlights something important: the impact of your mentoring is closely linked to your mentees’ ability to mentor others. A higher mentor-index would likely correlate strongly with overall success and meaningful impact.

To me, mentoring relationships are among the most significant connections in life. Mentoring isn’t easy, but it’s deeply rewarding. Good mentors patiently listen, guide, and accept that progress takes time. Good mentees, on the other hand, show genuine honesty, humility, and readiness to act.

Here’s how you can maximize the benefits of your mentoring relationships:

1. It’s easier to be good than to look good.
2. It’s better to come clean early than to hold back.
3. Give mentors leverage by not wasting their time.
4. Pay them by acting on their advice and showing progress.
5. Mentor others and pay it forward to deepen your own growth.
6. Stay open. Mentors and mentees often appear in unexpected places, so be ready to learn and ready to help anywhere.

By consistently giving and receiving mentorship, we create a powerful cycle of mutual growth and lasting impact.