4 Qualities That Make A Mentor Extraordinary

The qualities of a good Mentor can vary a lot depending on the subject and the needs of the Mentee. That being said, there are some qualities that any Mentor can benefit from. Furthermore, they’re simple and easy to learn!

1. Active Listening Skills

Mentoring, at its core, is about helping a Mentee find their path and reach their goals. In order to do that, the best Mentors work hard to understand what their Mentees really need and there’s no better way to understand a person than through active listening.

What is active listening?

When listening to a person talk, it’s natural to find yourself considering what you might say next while only half-following what the person is saying. Active listening is all about keeping your attention focused on the details of what they’re saying until they’re finished before thinking about what you’re going to say next.

Say, for example, that your Mentee has come to you because they’re struggling with a problem. Their problem might, on the surface, sound a lot like one you’ve faced yourself and your instinct could be to wait for them to finish so that you can regale them with the tale of a time when you faced the same difficulty and overcame it.

That instinct may be correct and your story might well be a useful one, but it’s still important to shelve that thought until your Mentee has finished speaking, maybe even asking some follow-up questions once they’re done before giving your advice. This will not only help you to confirm that they are indeed facing a similar problem, but it’ll also help you speak to their difficulty more specifically rather than only offering general solutions.

 2. Empathy and Support

Empathy is never a bad thing. In fact, of all the qualities of a good Mentor, it’s arguably the most important. After all, your Mentee will have sought you out precisely because you’ve been where they are now. You can relate to their situation from real, first hand experience.

That being said, while empathy on its own is powerful, the ability to act on that empathy is one of the strongest skills any Mentor can have.

There are many ways to act on empathy but if you want to provide really effective help to your Mentees then you should focus on giving them support. That support can be verbal – reinforcing their achievements through praise and celebration – or it can be shown through your interactions.

Perhaps best of all, you can use that empathy to shape the advice you give your Mentee and the goals you set together in order to tailor their career journey to them.

3. Strong Communication Skills

We’ve already discussed the value of active listening but there’s a lot to be said more broadly about how much of a difference strong communication skills can make.

In many respects, mentoring is all about communication. You, the Mentor, have extensive knowledge of the job role your Mentee has chosen for themself. In a sense, that experience is what you’re selling them. In fact, in a very real way, your knowledge is the product and your ability to communicate that knowledge drives the value of your service.

Of course, that’s quite a clinical way to discuss the process of mentoring, and it’s worth saying that there are many ways to be a good communicator. Whether it’s your quirky sense of humour that keeps Mentees entertained and engaged, or your ability to really connect with them on a one to one level, the best communication comes as a natural product of your own personality. As you work with your Mentees, try to focus in on and refine the method that works best for you.

4. Honest Feedback

As a Mentor there can be an urge to hide from negative feedback, especially once you’ve developed a good rapport with your Mentee. This is very understandable, but it can also limit their growth and it’s important to confront this feeling as soon as possible.

With that in mind, there are some ways to soften the blow of constructive criticism while still giving your Mentees the advice they need.

The first thing to note is that this will vary a lot from Mentee to Mentee. Some may prefer blunt and honest feedback, while others might want a structure in place in order to help them process feedback. This is a great thing to ask about upfront but don’t be afraid to experiment with new styles of feedback if your initial approach isn’t working. Just remember to tell your Mentee first, especially if you’re thinking of switching to a more blunt approach.

When delivering feedback, it’s also best to remember your focus should always be on the specifics. Find actionable changes your Mentees can make rather than pointing to broad issues.

For example, a Mentee may have organisational issues. They’re probably aware of this and while it might be worth mentioning, simply pointing that fact out isn’t likely to have a constructive outcome. Instead, tackle the problem one issue at a time. Find the specific places where their organisation is creating problems for them and help them handle difficulties one by one.

Lastly, try to avoid piling up your feedback. As an expert, you’re likely to see many areas for improvement in your Mentee but pointing them out all at once runs the risk of overwhelming them. By limiting your criticism to only the most pressing issues, you’ll allow them the space to really develop as they need to.

Do you think you’ve got the qualities of a good Mentor? If so then we’d love to have you! Sign up today at CareerNavig8r.com.