How to be an effective mentor: 8 Do's and Don'ts
Mentoring employees who demonstrate the willingness and the potential to take on positions of greater responsibility is an important aspect of business succession planning.
Taking responsibility for the professional development of staff members is an accepted part of a business leadership or management role. Still, there is more to being a successful mentor than simply sharing knowledge and experience, for example within our course 'How to Mentor Efficiently' we provide vital information on how to use different skills in order to bring the best out in their employees through the use of mentoring.
The role of the mentor is diverse A good mentor should be a teacher, role model and visionary but as with any role, there are right and wrong ways to approach mentoring.
Here are our 8 Do's and Don'ts:
DO: Dedicate sufficient time to mentoring
Agree to meet with your mentee at times that are convenient for you both and when there are no external pressures or likely distractions. This allows for time for yourself and your mentee to prepare before the allocated time and total focus during that time.
DON'T: Be overcritical of mistakes
Everybody makes mistakes and these should be used as a learning experience for the mentee. It is not a mentor's pace to judge their mentee when they make a mistake, this may cause the mentee to feel they do not want to continue with the mentoring sessions. Instead, help them to grow and learn from their mistake.
DO: Assign tasks and responsibilities that push the mentee
Encouraging mentees to take on tasks that extend slightly beyond their comfort zone will enhance capabilities such as problem-solving and creative thinking, help them acquire new skills and experience and build their confidence.
DON'T: Talk when you should be listening
Mentoring is a two-way process, and whilst it is important for a mentor to share their knowledge and experience with the mentee, it is equally important that they invite questions and feedback, listen carefully and understand the mentee's thoughts and opinions.
DO: Set the performance bar high
It's important to let the mentee know that you have high expectations of them. Whilst the mentee's tasks must be clearly explained, and goals must be realistic and achievable, the mentee must also be aware of the level of quality and performance you want them to deliver.
DON'T: Undermine your mentee's trust in you
An effective mentor-mentee relationship is built upon mutual trust. The mentor should respect confidentiality and not discuss their mentee's merits or failings with others, fail to keep to agreed mentoring appointments or otherwise breach their trust in you.
DO: Be an exemplary role model
Behave at all times as you would wish your mentee to behave. You should be the person that they aspire to be, and as such you should maintain high standards of performance and behaviour but also demonstrate that it is perfectly possible for your mentee to attain the same status.
DON'T: Inhibit your mentee's capacity to think for themselves
Effective mentoring empowers the mentee to take their own approach to a situation and work out the best way to proceed. Mentors should minimise interference, even if the mentee may be about to make a mistake. Guidance can be provided, but in order for the mentee to develop and learn they should be trusted to work things out for themselves.
How can we help?
At Maguire Training, not only do we offer classroom-based courses and programmes, but we are also proud to offer a versatile and intuitive suite of over 190 eLearning modules on our website, which covers a range of Mentoring skills. Including our How To Mentor Effectively course, where delegates experienced and new will learn the fundamentals of mentoring.
Contact Us:
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in contact with us:
Phone: 0333 5777 144
Email: info@maguiretraining.co.uk
Or, simply fill in the ‘Contact Us’ form on any page of our website.
