9 Signs You Need to Fire Your Mentor

Is your mentor holding you back? Here's how to find out.

It's Time for a Fresh Perspective - Mentors. We all need ‘em. But the person who was a great fit three years ago could be holding you back today. Here are the top clues that you have outgrown your mentor. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Kevin Kozicki/Corbis)

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It's Time for a Fresh Perspective - Mentors. We all need ‘em. But the person who was a great fit three years ago could be holding you back today. Here are the top clues that you have outgrown your mentor. By Kenrya Rankin Naasel (Photo: Kevin Kozicki/Corbis)

Photo By Photo: Kevin Kozicki/Corbis

She’s Scared - Not of you, but of progress and risk. If she steers you away from taking the big shot, it’s impossible for her to help you win the game. Next!(Photo: Artiga Photo/Corbis)

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She’s Scared - Not of you, but of progress and risk. If she steers you away from taking the big shot, it’s impossible for her to help you win the game. Next!(Photo: Artiga Photo/Corbis)

You’re Scared - The reverse can also be true. If your mentor is pushing you to take risks that are too far out from your comfort zone, or feel reckless at this point in your career, it might not be a good fit. (Photo: Wavebreak Media Ltd./Corbis)

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You’re Scared - The reverse can also be true. If your mentor is pushing you to take risks that are too far out from your comfort zone, or feel reckless at this point in your career, it might not be a good fit. (Photo: Wavebreak Media Ltd./Corbis)

She’s AWOL - Busy is one thing — you want your mentor to have something going on. But if she has canceled or “rescheduled” on you more times than you can count, it’s clear that you are not registering on her radar these days. (Photo: Jetta Productions/Blend Images/Corbis)

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She’s AWOL - Busy is one thing — you want your mentor to have something going on. But if she has canceled or “rescheduled” on you more times than you can count, it’s clear that you are not registering on her radar these days. (Photo: Jetta Productions/Blend Images/Corbis)

You’ve Switched Lanes - You connected with your mentor when you were starting out in marketing, but these days you’re reinventing yourself as an artist. While there is definitely value in having advisers in different fields, if you find that her advice is contradictory to what works in your current field, it could be time to call it quits.(Photos from Left: Hill Street Studios/Blend Images/Corbis, Mango Productions/Corbis)

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You’ve Switched Lanes - You connected with your mentor when you were starting out in marketing, but these days you’re reinventing yourself as an artist. While there is definitely value in having advisers in different fields, if you find that her advice is contradictory to what works in your current field, it could be time to call it quits.(Photos from Left: Hill Street Studios/Blend Images/Corbis, Mango Productions/Corbis)

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He Is Out of Touch - Depending on your field, you may know more about your industry than he does at this point, particularly if you are in tech. That could lead to advice that might have been great a decade ago, but won’t float in the current climate. (Photo: m-imagephotography/Getty Images)

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He Is Out of Touch - Depending on your field, you may know more about your industry than he does at this point, particularly if you are in tech. That could lead to advice that might have been great a decade ago, but won’t float in the current climate. (Photo: m-imagephotography/Getty Images)

You’re Besties - This can happen when you’ve been working together for a while. If the talk during your get-togethers is more about your relationship drama than your journey up the ladder, you probably need to be friends who sometimes talk shop. Seek out someone you can create a more formal mentoring situation with.(Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

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You’re Besties - This can happen when you’ve been working together for a while. If the talk during your get-togethers is more about your relationship drama than your journey up the ladder, you probably need to be friends who sometimes talk shop. Seek out someone you can create a more formal mentoring situation with.(Photo: Hero Images/Corbis)

She’s Sitting on Contacts - One of the things mentors bring to the table is a network. If your mentor is making excuses for not introducing you to people who can help you grow, either she doesn't think you’re ready or she isn’t great at sharing. Either way, a conversation or parting of ways is in order.(Photo: Sam Edwards/Getty Images)

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She’s Sitting on Contacts - One of the things mentors bring to the table is a network. If your mentor is making excuses for not introducing you to people who can help you grow, either she doesn't think you’re ready or she isn’t great at sharing. Either way, a conversation or parting of ways is in order.(Photo: Sam Edwards/Getty Images)

She Doesn’t Have Your Best Interests at Heart - This is especially prevalent when your mentor is also your boss, and it isn’t necessarily malicious. While you may be looking for opportunities to grow outside the company, she might feel she has invested in you and as a result, her guidance might be skewed toward keeping your talents in her corner. (Photo: Image Source/Corbis)

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She Doesn’t Have Your Best Interests at Heart - This is especially prevalent when your mentor is also your boss, and it isn’t necessarily malicious. While you may be looking for opportunities to grow outside the company, she might feel she has invested in you and as a result, her guidance might be skewed toward keeping your talents in her corner. (Photo: Image Source/Corbis)

You Don’t Respect Him - You don't have to be friends with someone to learn from him, but you do need to like and respect him, at least a little. If you think your mentor is shady or mean to his employees, it’s hard to put full stock in his advice without being afraid it will make you like him! (Photo:  Klawitter Productions/Corbis)

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You Don’t Respect Him - You don't have to be friends with someone to learn from him, but you do need to like and respect him, at least a little. If you think your mentor is shady or mean to his employees, it’s hard to put full stock in his advice without being afraid it will make you like him! (Photo:  Klawitter Productions/Corbis)