How to Become a Great Mentor

No matter what industry you are in, being a new leader entails great responsibility. Tasks such as managing a team and making crucial decisions are a difficult part of the job. You have to be firm yet understanding and strict but empathetic. You also have to be strategic, dependable, flexible, and much more.  As a leader you should also strive to be an inspiration to your colleagues. You have to be unbiased and mentally prepared to hear the concerns of your subordinates.

Because of the demands of a leadership role any new or emerging leaders should work with a mentor in order to set them up for success.

If you choose to become a mentor for college in the workplace then there are several things you must consider to ensure a great experience for all involved in the process.

Mentor and mentoring

Before dissecting what the process of mentoring is like and how it is best done, we must first understand what a mentor is and their responsibility. 
A mentor is someone who has specific expertise regarding a particular task or role. They serve as a teacher, counselor, and advocate for their protégée. In the workplace mentoring is helping one person learn through one-on-one training. This process is usually practiced within the workplace itself. It is done when one employee transfers knowledge and promotes practices to another in case of a resignation or promotion. But apart from these, mentoring is also effective for leadership development. 

Ways to become a great mentor

While mentoring is proven helpful in training upcoming leaders, it does not work instantly or by chance. You must remember that you, with the organisation and the mentees themselves, need to exert effort and invest time before you can see its effectiveness and reap its benefits.
That being said, here are some tips on how you can be a good mentor:

• Clarity

When you become a mentor, the clarity of your purpose is one of the most critical components. You must know how to identify the proper measures to be placed and set fair expectations with them. 

As a mentor, it is also part of your responsibility to perform onboarding so an employee can be fully integrated into the organisation. At this point, their roles should already be laid out transparently. This should be your first foundational step into developing their skills and leadership. A mentor should also guide their mentee with their career progression, new job transition, and diversity.

But no matter what you teach your mentee, all mentoring programmes should be distinct, with clear objectives and measures. This is how you can evaluate whether or not the mentorship is effective. 

• Connection

Building rapport and trust with your mentee is as important as communicating with them. Try to connect with your trainee by simply greeting them or appreciating them for a job well done. You can also work around your similarities about specific skills your mentee wants to develop, a chosen career path, or a desire to navigate the organisation better. Make an effort to put yourself in your mentee’s shoes and try to understand what they are thinking and feeling.

• Communication

People often think communication is just about talking and getting your point across. What they usually miss is it also has to involve listening. This is an essential skill that every mentee should master.

While mentoring is to advise and guide your mentee based on your expertise, you should also know how to listen to the challenges your trainee might face. Listening has different levels: 

Listen with your ears: what is being said, and what tone was used?

Listen with your eyes: observe your mentee’s body language as they talk to you.

Listen with your instincts - do you sense that there is something your mentee is not telling you?

Listen with your heart - be sensitive enough about what your mentee might be feeling.

• Question

Another core action that any mentor should take is to ask their mentee questions. Your questions should be made to assist your trainee as they go along their career and identify what path they want to take.  It should provoke their thoughts, allowing them to delve deeper. Your efforts should be pointed to making your mentee outgrow their dependence on you.
Asking the right questions is the first step that will allow your mentee to find the courage to ask questions themselves about the situation or problems they are facing and the choices they’ll make. This step is necessary for helping them look for clarity, search for meaning, assist them in finding patterns, and guide them on the path of self-discovery, which are the tools they would need to be independent and successful.

• Commitment

When it comes to mentorship programmes, commitment should involve the organisation, mentors, and mentees. This is the only way mentoring would be effective. All involved parties should understand that for mentorship to be successful, it must be an ongoing commitment. 
Developing leadership skills through mentoring requires a long time implementation. As a mentor, it is your responsibility to check results and determine whether or not there are improvements. Supporting your mentees will require a full commitment of your time and effort. Mentoring should also be consistent to avoid your trainees becoming disillusioned and disengaged with the programme. 

Additionally, as a mentor, you should also ensure to engage and have your mentee committed to the programme. Mentoring would not work without you and your mentee’s cooperation. Your trainee should be the one to gain the most out of the relationship. To do this, you must prepare them by clarifying your plans and giving them clear directives on what can happen. 

Learn more about leadership development

Seeking improvement for your team is normal for any company to explore. There are many ways an organisation can do this; one example is by checking out online leadership courses that you can use to enhance yourself as a mentor. 

Corporate Learning Solutions can provide you with the knowledge and skills to help you become a better mentor for your team. If you want to learn more about us and what we offer, you can check our website at www.corplearn.com.au.