What makes a Good Mentor?

What does being a mentor mean?

When coming close to retirement, people have gained extensive experience in their fields and they have a lot of knowledge to share. You may be wondering how to use this knowledge and give back in the later years of your career.

Ever thought about a bridge career that allows you to set your own schedule while also giving you the satisfaction of helping others with virtually no training required? A job, tailor-made to your own personal experiences and career choices.

I know what you’re thinking, a job that specific doesn’t exist? Well, you’d be wrong, mentoring exists.

Mentoring is the process of using your own professional experience to further someone else’s career. It gives you the chance to impart the knowledge you wished you knew at the start of your career. There is no greater joy in life than helping others. So why not start today?

 Mentors’ are usually a senior employee or a leader, and with that in mind, one can just assume how rich and insightful their communication and guidance skills are. Rather than learning through their own mistakes, a mentor is a person mentees can look to for direction and as a role model to imitate. 

The purpose of mentoring, and mentoring platforms, is to connect these experts with individuals who are eager to learn, strengthen and expand their knowledge and professional horizons.  

With access to experts such as mentors, mentees can dive into the mind of individuals who have been where they are in their careers today and succeed to much greater levels. Mentoring allows you to see into the experience and management of successful people first-hand through their eyes and learn from it. The investment of time and resources in yourself will exceed your career development.  

At a certain point in your career, having a career mentor can become a crucial tool for moving forward. 

So how do we tell what makes a good mentor?

1. The will to share

A good mentor is ready and willing to share their life and career experience with you and use that experience to help you succeed in your career path. 

They accept their mentee’s career accomplishments so far and give their best to help them achieve their goals. Success doesn’t happen overnight. A good mentor needs to take a step back and remember what it was like for them at the time when they needed guidance and use this hindsight to better their mentee’s career.

2. Listening skills 

Listening is one of the most important soft skills when it comes to mentoring, and in life in general. The most supportive mentors are the ones who make a point of listening to their mentees carefully. A good mentor devotes an equal amount of energy to listening and talking, and their active listening skills will ensure they understand and endorse what you have in mind, resulting in constructive feedback. 

3. The ability to motivate 

A good mentor is; 

• Confident
•  aware of the abilities they possess
•  knows how to motivate their coworkers
•  possess the skills to transfer their abilities and knowledge to others

An excellent mentor is constantly challenging themselves and not afraid to step outside their comfort zone and push their mentees to do the same. As a good mentor knows, comfort is the enemy of progress. A mentor should always motivate you and nurture your development. 

5. Commitment 

Mentoring is not something that is done occasionally, or IF one has time for it.

The mentor/mentee relationship relies on continuity and requires dedication and commitment, just like any other job does. Unless both of the participants are fully committed to the work, the relationship is most likely going to fail to grow and succeed.

Mentorship requires energy and willingness.

Your role as a mentor is to listen, fully engage in the relationship and guide the mentee the best you can. It is your effort and advice that will help the mentee to discover solutions for whatever issue they are facing. 

6. Patience & Empathy

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” – John Crawford Crosby. Finally, the greatest virtue of any teacher is patience. Resilience, when an obstacle appears and recognising that results do not come instantly, are true signs of an excellent mentor.

Mentoring is an investment; the mentor invests their knowledge and experience in their mentee  through active listening and monitoring of both verbal and nonverbal communication through an empathic approach. This is the foundation of an excellent mentorship. 

In the end, mentoring is putting an old head on young shoulders. It is a meaningful and fun investment in your future.

Do you believe you have what it takes to be a good mentor? Find out and sign up to Try A Mentor today, mentee’s need your expertise.