More than just common sense is required to be an effective mentor. According to research, mentors and mentees who form and manage effective mentoring partnerships display a variety of distinct, recognizable qualities that make learning and change possible.
The Identification of Competencies Necessary for Mentoring
For a considerable time, people have thought that the mentoring process was kind of a secret. The term “chemistry” must have been there for these partnerships to develop naturally.
Many people could not find mentoring connections because they were uninformed about getting started with mentoring. As a result, these people could not take advantage of one of the most effective methods of personal growth that has ever been conceived.
Core Mentoring Skills
The following list of fundamental abilities is recommended for use in mentoring relationships by both the mentor and the mentee.
Paying Attention While Listening
The most fundamental mentoring skill is active listening; all of the other abilities build on top of it and require it as a prerequisite.
When you are a good listener, you show those you coach and those you are being mentored that their worries have been understood and heard. As a consequence of this, people experience a sense of acceptance and trust from you develop. By engaging in some activities that can be observed, you can convey the impression that you are paying close attention to what is being said.
For instance, if you are an excellent listener, you will:
- Appear truly interested by making inspiring responses such as “Hmmm…” and “Interesting…” or sometimes reflecting certain remarks to show that you have grasped the meaning and feelings behind the message;
- You should fight the want to continually move the conversation to your own experiences and ideas and resist the urge to find immediate solutions for issues you may be hearing.
- Pay close attention; problem-solving can come much later. If you notice that your mentees and mentors tend to solve problems as soon as they arise, see if there is any way you can coach them to become effective learners and problem explorers.
Establishing Credibility
The greater the level of confidence that your mentees and mentors have in you, the more dedicated they will be to the partnerships that you form with them, and the more successful you will be.
This trust is something that grows over time, particularly if your mentees and mentors notice certain behaviors on your side that are suitable.
Building trust is essential, especially when mentoring individuals that differ from one another in significant ways (such as gender, culture, manner, or age). This trust must be cultivated over time.
Encouraging
According to the findings of Phillips-Jones’ study, the ability to inspire confidence is considered the most valuable mentoring talent. This includes recognizing your mentoring partners’ contributions and verbally providing honest, positive feedback.
When was the last time you were showered with excessive amounts of praise? If you never have, you are not the only one. Influential mentors encourage their trainees, which, in turn, helps their mentees build confidence and provides the opportunity for them to grow.
At the same time, effective mentees make it a point to provide their mentors with positive reinforcement, which helps the mentors continue to maintain their concentration and motivation. Regularly engage in the practice of giving your mentees and mentors the kind of positive feedback that comes from the heart.
There are many different ways to encourage others, and mentees and mentors can have different preferences regarding the kinds of encouragement and the amount of encouragement they want to receive; however, you can:
- During one on one consulting, congratulate your mentoring partners on their accomplishments and the steps they’ve taken;
- In addition to praising their achievements and accomplishments, call attention to the great qualities they possess, such as tenacity and honesty;
- Compliment them in an intimate setting, one-on-one; • applaud them in public, in front of others (while taking into account any cultural or stylistic preferences that may exist about public appreciation);
- demonstrating gratitude and admiration;
- Compose energizing memorandums or emails, and be sure to leave pleasant voicemails; and
- It would be best if you let them know how you put any assistance they give you.
Make sure that your words of praise and support come from a place of genuineness. When mentoring, it is better to err on the side of giving excessive praise than inadequate praise. Some professionals in the field of human development suggest maintaining a ratio of four or five compliments for every critical comment.
Instructional and Pedagogical Development of Capabilities During one on 1 consulting
It’s likely that all mentors lecture or teach their mentees at some point during the mentoring process. This ability is precious in more formal mentoring relationships. This almost seldom implies that you will be required to provide formal speeches and lectures. Your approach to instruction will typically be less formal, consisting of activities such as modeling particular behaviors and communicating concepts and procedures one-on-one, in the style of tutoring.
One on 1 Consulting Mentors usually:
- Act as a “learning broker” by guiding your mentees in the direction of various resources, including people, books, programs, websites, and other types of information;
- Assist them in recognizing motivating activities that they have taken in the past and ways that they can excel once more.
- It is always tempting to instruct mentees what to do and, in reality, to have them walk in your footsteps. However, this is not the best method to mentor someone. Your task as a mentor is to see to it that your mentees identify and pursue their own unique path to greatness, rather than necessarily following in your footsteps.
Some exceptional mentors can motivate their mentees by employing languages like anecdotes, metaphors, and potent phrases. Is this a way of coaching others you could improve over the next few months?
Delivering Constructive Criticism as Feedback
Effective mentors should be able to provide corrective criticism to their mentees and should be willing to do so. Effective coaches should also provide frequent and sincere positive feedback to their mentees.
You should be straightforward with your mentees, letting them know what you perceive, and suggesting some better approaches for handling the situations in which you observe them acting in ways that are less than acceptable when you observe them making mistakes or functioning in less than desirable ways. It will most likely be more beneficial for them to hear it from you rather than from other people. This is one facet of the protection ability of the mentor known as “Managing Risks,” which will be discussed in more detail later.
Your mentees should be one of the first people you talk to about whether or not they would like to receive feedback and how they would like to receive it. People are more receptive to receiving remedial feedback if they have previously granted permission for it and are aware that it is on its way. On the other hand, if you are encouraged to provide comments on anything, you are more inclined to do so. Make an effort to:
When mentees’ actions or products aren’t up to par, use words and a tone of voice that are encouraging, non-derogatory, and appropriate for a professional setting with them;
- Provide constructive criticism in a confidential setting;
- Communicate the feedback as quickly as is practical following the performance;
- Instruct your mentees in new information, abilities, and attitudes by describing concepts, illustrating those concepts with relevant examples, and posing questions that encourage introspection;
- Assist your mentees in acquiring a more comprehensive understanding of their organizations, including the history, values, culture, and politics of those organizations;
- Exhibit or model effective behaviors, highlighting what it is that you are attempting to accomplish; and
- You should assist them in monitoring their performance and refocusing their steps as required.
Teaching the process of mentoring others is an important component of your curriculum. You can accomplish this by making process remarks, which involve pointing out, naming, and otherwise drawing the attention of your mentees to the particular area of mentoring that you are focusing on at the moment and explaining why you are doing it.
Train Invictus has faith that buried deep within you is the genetic material necessary to accomplish the inconceivable. Schedule an appointment with Train Invictus immediately if you’d also like to try out the 1-on-1 level of consulting they offer.
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