One of the hallmarks of a great business is the inclusion of a strong mentoring tradition. As new employees are hired, there is a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can be handed down from more senior members. This relationship can help to promote growth and improve the prospects for new employees, while instilling a sense of accomplishment and pride in the mentors themselves. Here are a few things that can help you make an impact through your mentorship.
Practice What You Preach
A role of a mentor isn’t simply to tell people what to do. The best understand that it is much more effective to lead by example and show people what to do. As a mentor, offering advice that you don’t follow personally will fall on deaf ears. People learn more from observation than they will ever from listening, that’s just human nature. When offering advice to people, do your best to ensure that your behavior is an embodiment of that particular idea. Forbes Magazine explains that mentees are “likely to follow your lead” and “adapt your approach to their own style”. This means that mentors need to be very aware of their behavior.
Make it Personal
Mentoring isn’t something that should be taken lightly or done with half-effort. Those in this unique position have an excellent opportunity to work with another individual and help them to grow. Take pride in your mentees, just as you would any other area of work. Mentors who take a vested interest in those that they are instructing, are much more likely to have a lasting impact. Thinking of those you’re mentoring as a reflection of your capabilities, is a great way to ensure you stay involved and dedicated.
Challenge Your Mentees
Mentorship is about creating growth and development within an individual. In order for this change to occur, mentees will have to make some personal improvements. The role of a mentor is to help facilitate this process and challenge people to grow. This can be accomplished by providing honest and constructive criticism in areas that can be improved upon. Being overly nice without being real with others will only result in stagnation, not growth.
Along these lines, make sure that you sit down with your mentee on a regular basis, whether that is once a month or twice a year. It just depends on your company’s purpose of having mentors. In every meeting, make sure to go over past goals, talk about progress, and assess where he or she could have done better. Then, make sure to set new goals. Make sure, though, to follow up on those goals with them every now and then in between meetings so that they do not forget about them.
Hone Your Mentoring Skills
No one is ever done learning, not even mentors. In order to ensure that you are maximizing the mentoring relationship, it is critical to improve your own skills as well. Don’t be afraid to seek out advice from others who have mentored before or even attend seminars or talks on the topic. There are even corporate coaching opportunities available to you that can teach you about what it takes to be an effective mentor. Advising others is a skill just like anything else and it must be developed all the same.
Mentoring isn’t easy. It requires a strategic approach and dedication. At the end of the day, if the mentor is not delivering, then the mentorship relationship will fail. With all of right ingredients however, a great mentor will have a lasting impact on the growth of their mentees and be able to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with it.
