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I am new here, but I saw a lot of wonderful threads on finding a mentor and the value of the Free!!!! Mentorship you can receive just being a part of these forums, reading, learning, not asking without giving.
All of this is great, but what if you want to be a Mentor? How do you become a good one? What makes a good Mentor? These are great questions. So I thought I would share my thoughts on this. I have several mentees currently. Some officially at my office, some unofficially I have mentored for many years. They are all wonderful mentees but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't provide them value.
Key Points To Being a Good Mentor
1. Provide Actual Guidance - This one is obvious, but if someone is coming to you asking to be a Mentor, this isn't the time to just show off or brag. They are looking for actual guidance around a topic. So ask them. Find out what it is they are learning and help them. If it is an area you can't provide guidance, then be honest about that and save you both wasted time.
2. Be Engaged - Set aside time on a regular schedule to work with your mentee and stick to it! Provide homework around what they are wanting to learn. Get to know them. You should be listening as much if not more than speaking. If you are not engaged then the mentee won't be either.
3. Provide Feedback - Constructive feedback is how people learn and grow. Don't just shower the mentee with platitudes and wish them well. Give them feedback on what they are doing well, and what they need more focus on. If you are engaged with them, then they should be working assignments and showing they care and are learning. Feedback is critical for this to happen.
4. Willing to share your knowledge - This is a big one. You should be willing to share what you know or you shouldn't be a Mentor. It goes without saying, but I have had Mentors in my path that would hold back on critical pieces of information because it was for sell and not something to be shared. Well I get there are cases like this, but if you are not willing to share what you know, then you should be a Mentor.
6. Willingness to properly task your mentee - That's right. They need homework and need work to do. How can you be engaged, provide guidance or feedback if you are not tasking your mentee. This is critical to see if you're mentee is learning.
7. Set a measurable goal of outcome - If your mentee wants to learn to present, then help them get there. Set an opportunity for them to do just that! Goals are wonderful ways to keep everyone on the right path.
It also helps for you to decide what kind of mentor you want to be.
Being a Mentor is very rewarding, but it is hard work. Often harder than the ask on the Mentee. However do it right, and you might end up with a lifelong and rewarding relationship.
TED has a good series on Mentoring and you can find it here:
8 TED Talks on how to be a good mentor
I hope this is of benefit to someone. I will be coming back and updating this as necessary and based on feedback too. I would love to hear peoples stories of successful mentorship as well.
Tl. DR. Don't be a Mentor, even if you are successful want to share it out if you have no interest in investing everything it takes to teach and take on a Mentee.
All of this is great, but what if you want to be a Mentor? How do you become a good one? What makes a good Mentor? These are great questions. So I thought I would share my thoughts on this. I have several mentees currently. Some officially at my office, some unofficially I have mentored for many years. They are all wonderful mentees but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't provide them value.
Key Points To Being a Good Mentor
1. Provide Actual Guidance - This one is obvious, but if someone is coming to you asking to be a Mentor, this isn't the time to just show off or brag. They are looking for actual guidance around a topic. So ask them. Find out what it is they are learning and help them. If it is an area you can't provide guidance, then be honest about that and save you both wasted time.
2. Be Engaged - Set aside time on a regular schedule to work with your mentee and stick to it! Provide homework around what they are wanting to learn. Get to know them. You should be listening as much if not more than speaking. If you are not engaged then the mentee won't be either.
3. Provide Feedback - Constructive feedback is how people learn and grow. Don't just shower the mentee with platitudes and wish them well. Give them feedback on what they are doing well, and what they need more focus on. If you are engaged with them, then they should be working assignments and showing they care and are learning. Feedback is critical for this to happen.
4. Willing to share your knowledge - This is a big one. You should be willing to share what you know or you shouldn't be a Mentor. It goes without saying, but I have had Mentors in my path that would hold back on critical pieces of information because it was for sell and not something to be shared. Well I get there are cases like this, but if you are not willing to share what you know, then you should be a Mentor.
6. Willingness to properly task your mentee - That's right. They need homework and need work to do. How can you be engaged, provide guidance or feedback if you are not tasking your mentee. This is critical to see if you're mentee is learning.
7. Set a measurable goal of outcome - If your mentee wants to learn to present, then help them get there. Set an opportunity for them to do just that! Goals are wonderful ways to keep everyone on the right path.
It also helps for you to decide what kind of mentor you want to be.
- A Life Coach
- Career Mentor
- Skill Mentor
Being a Mentor is very rewarding, but it is hard work. Often harder than the ask on the Mentee. However do it right, and you might end up with a lifelong and rewarding relationship.
TED has a good series on Mentoring and you can find it here:
8 TED Talks on how to be a good mentor
I hope this is of benefit to someone. I will be coming back and updating this as necessary and based on feedback too. I would love to hear peoples stories of successful mentorship as well.
Tl. DR. Don't be a Mentor, even if you are successful want to share it out if you have no interest in investing everything it takes to teach and take on a Mentee.
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