Protege selection by mentors: what makes the difference?

This study examined protege characteristics that mentors reported were most influential when choosing a protege. Based on existing research, two varia bles were identified related to protege selection: perceptions regarding th e protege's potential/ability and perceptions regarding the protege's need for help. The relationships of these two factors with perceived barriers to mentoring others, mentor advancement aspirations, and mentor gender were i nvestigated. Data from 282 mentors revealed that mentors were more likely t o choose a protege based on perceptions regarding the protege's ability/ po tential than based on perceptions regarding the protege's need for help. Ad ditionally, women were more likely to choose a protege based on the protege 's perceived ability than were men. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, L td.