6 Things Every Mentor Should Do

There’s no underestimating the power of good mentoring. A great Mentor can be the difference between success and failure in many people’s careers as well as the inspirational voice pushing them to excel and go further than they might ever have done on their own.

But what makes for good mentoring? And how can you improve your mentoring skills?

In this article, we’ll break down the six most important things a Mentor can do to improve their Mentee’s development as well as the best methods for implementing them with your Mentee.

1. Understand what you want out of the relationship

It cannot be understated that good mentoring always starts with having the right expectations. There’s a lot to be said about managing your Mentee’s expectations but it’s equally important that you know what you want to get out of the experience.

Are you looking to help others and give something back to the industry you’re passionate about? Do you see mentoring as a path to establishing a new income stream from the comfort of your own home? Both of these are perfectly valid reasons to become a Mentor but they will influence the type of Mentees you’ll be looking to take on.

For more financially motivated Mentors, you’ll probably be looking to take on clients who are early in their career path and may need your help for many years to come. If, instead, you’re seeking a sense of fulfilment from helping others, then you may want to focus on Mentees with specific, actionable goals in mind.

By understanding your own expectations ahead of time you can ensure that your goals are aligned with those of your Mentees.

2. Set expectations together in the very beginning

So you’ve found a Mentee who’s a good fit for you. That’s excellent, but do they know that?

As a Mentor you’ll likely find yourself working with multiple Mentees at a time while most of your Mentees will probably be new to the process. As such, while they might have a general idea of what they’re looking to get out of mentoring, you’ll have a much more specific plan in mind.

During your first meeting, make sure to ask them what they’re planning to achieve and lay down some clear goals as to how you’ll get there. If you can, try to lay out a road map for them, helping them to get those all important milestones fixed in mind ahead of time.

3. Build trust

Trust is the foundation of any productive relationship. Good mentoring requires your Mentee to place a level of faith in you, in your skills, and in your ability to get them where they need to be, professionally speaking.

The key to inspiring that faith is a combination of honesty and results. You can’t argue with results and the more your Mentee can feel themselves progressing towards their aims, the more they will trust your methods. That being said, results can take time to manifest which is why it’s vitally important to be as upfront and honest as possible from the start.

Don’t be afraid to face up to hard truths. If your Mentee will take years to achieve their goal, it’s best to tell them that sooner rather than later. While they may be disheartened in the short-term, they’re far more likely to hold out in the long-term if they know what to expect right from the start.

4. Celebrate their achievements

Speaking of progress, there’s no better way to reinforce your Mentee’s enthusiasm than by celebrating any progress they make. Every achievement, no matter how small, is another step along the road to success and if they can feel themselves progressing then they’re always more likely to keep going.

Ultimately, the best way to tackle any large task is by splitting it up into a series of smaller, more manageable steps. By doing this for your Mentee, you can also help them focus on the here and now, while you take care of the bigger picture.

5. Know when to give advice

As a Mentor, it’s easy to think of your role as that of an advisor – the person directing every important decision. While this is true to an extent, it’s important for Mentees to still feel that they’re in the driver’s seat.

Put simply, it’s about knowing the difference between advice and instruction. By providing your Mentee with all the information but ultimately letting them make their decisions, they’ll get to take the active role in pushing their career forwards, learning more than they otherwise would. They might make mistakes, but at the end of the day, mistakes are often the best opportunities for learning.

6. Seek out resources to help your Mentee grow

Last but not least, let’s talk about resources.

As a Mentor, you will be your Mentee’s primary source for information. After all, you’ve got the first-hand experience, so you know best. That being said, there’s no better way to really empower your Mentee than by providing them with the resources to do their own learning/research.

From industry connections to good old text-books, you can direct your Mentee towards trusted parties allowing them to develop both during and outside of your time together.

Can’t wait to start sharing your knowledge and experience? Then why not sign up to be a Mentor with Career Navig8r today? Our platform is free and easy to use with great tools designed to make good mentoring easier than ever before!