These days it seems that becoming a successful mentor is a much easier task than only a few years ago. With tons of mentoring tips and helpful articles being written every day, there is nothing that can stop you from learning a few critical mentoring skills on your own. Being a good mentor allows you to motivate others more easily. Additionally, it might help you face your everyday challenges. Thanks to the abundance of knowledge we can find on mentoring, many people find it easy to boost their skills as a mentor. If you would like to join this group of motivated people then you came to the right place. Here are some of the core mentoring skills you should learn.
Understand the importance of mentoring
The first thing you need to learn is the importance of mentoring. As we already mentioned, being a mentor provides huge benefits for both you and your mentee. But why is that? One of the main reasons why people decide to become mentors is because it allows them to give back to their community. Additionally, it might help them improve their personal skills as well.
Be aware of the mentoring process
If you want to be a successful mentor, you need to be aware of the mentoring process. Most people tend to forget about proper planning and preparation, which is something you should avoid at all costs. Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind:
- Build a great relationship with your mentee.
- Find a comfortable place where you can meet each other (your home, office, coffee shop, etc.)
- Choose a regular time for your mentoring sessions
- Provide your mentee with helpful information
- Explain how some people might behave in certain situations
- Help your mentee develop critical thinking skills
- Don’t forget about confidentiality (if necessary)
Be proactive and take action!
Another important core mentoring skill is being proactive. To be a great mentor, you have to take action and make sure that your mentee can benefit from your knowledge, skills, and experience. We have already mentioned that being proactive is all about taking action. Also, don’t forget about following up and keeping track of your progress. Make sure that you reach your goals by taking action with persistence and consistency. You should also make sure that you communicate your goals clearly to your mentee. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the things you need to do:
- Ask your mentee about his/her goals and interests
- Discuss goals with your mentee (remember to ask them if they have any goals too)
- Follow up on your progress and check if you both reached your goals
- Provide your mentee with helpful information
- Make your mentee feel comfortable and relaxed when meeting together
- Help your mentee develop critical thinking skills
- Check if you can start focusing on new goals
- Give some advice and be an inspiration for your mentee
Teach your mentee to take action
When it comes to mentoring, teaching your mentee to take action is one of the core skills you need to learn. It is essential because it allows you to implement your mentoring skills and knowledge properly. As a mentor, you need to teach your mentee to take action without any doubts or fear. On the other hand, if you don’t provide your mentee with proper guidance, they might face some problems in the future. Make sure that you teach your mentee to take action by following these tips:
- Ask your mentee about his/her goals and interests
- Discuss goals with your mentee (check if they have any goals like becoming one of the top programmers in the world)
- Help your mentee develop confidence and self-esteem
- Help your mentee get rid of any doubts related to taking action
- Tell them how some people could behave in certain situations
- Set specific and realistic goals for your mentee
- Don’t forget about being supportive when it comes to taking action
Be patient and understanding
After reading this core mentoring skill, you probably wonder what is the relationship between patience and mentoring. Well, if you want to be a great mentor, you need to understand that people learn at different paces. This means that you need to be patient and try as hard as you can to not rush things. Remember that providing guidance and helping someone develop new skills requires time and effort. If you get impatient, you might end up doing more harm than good. Therefore, try to avoid this at all costs! Here are some tips to help you stay patient and understanding:
- Show your willingness to help
- Provide your mentee with helpful information
- Be patient and don’t rush things
- Talk to your mentee about anything that is bothering them
- Accept the fact that people learn at different paces
- Don’t forget about the importance of patience
Be inspirational for your mentee
The sixth core mentoring skill is being inspirational for your mentee. When it comes to mentoring, inspiration has two very important purposes. The first is helping your mentee realize their full potential and the second is helping them perform better in life. Interestingly enough, being an inspirational mentor allows you to boost both your personal and professional growth. As a result, you will be able to help others improve their lives as well. People tend to become more inspired when they meet someone who achieved great results in life. With this in mind, here are some things you need to do to inspire your mentee:
- Show your willingness to help
- Set realistic goals for your mentee
- Don’t forget how some people could behave in certain situations
- Allow your mentee to make mistakes (this will help them develop critical thinking skills)
- Check if you can start focusing on new goals
- Help your mentee become more confident
- Help them understand their full potential
Summary
Being a mentor can be very difficult at times, but it is also extremely rewarding. Sharing your skills and knowledge with someone doesn’t cost you anything but can change someone’s life. If you take all these tips into consideration you are sure to be a great mentor.