Ask HN: How does one chase away Mentors?
This is the flip-side of the usual question. However, I think it's a good one to ask, as persons who are chased away aren't available to explain why.
One of the things that turn most people away, but particularly mentors you want to work with, is the inability to learn and adapt. Most people are completely oblivious to this or completely delusional in thought thinking they're not like that if they are in fact displaying this behavior. Mentors, investors, etc... work with people who are trainable, willing to take advice, execute on the advice, and ask questions when they feel the need to clarify or disagree.
Disagreeing isn't the problem. It's the behavior that a person tends to ask a question only to argue against what they hear. There are a SWARM of people out there like this and they don't even realize it. Other times, the wrong impression is given due to a misunderstand on how a person reacts once advice is given possibly due to how they may phrase a follow up question to the advice. Word choices and gestures matter as to not give off the signal that you're a person bent on looking for validation rather than valid advice. It's a fine line between the two and I dare say most of the people I've encounter can't tell the difference.