How to Be a Good Mentor
Do your best and ask for help when needed., Don’t panic if you don’t know an answer., Set a good example., Be a guide for certain, and a friend if possible.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Do your best and ask for help when needed.
The main focus of being a mentor is to provide guidance as best you can, and to stay positive for both of you.
If there's something you're both finding difficult, don't be afraid to ask someone else for help — such as a teacher if you're in school, an expert in the subject, someone more senior than you at your workplace, etc.Good mentors don’t need to know everything; in fact, they need to know that they don’t know everything.
Experience, expertise, and a record of success are all valuable attributes in a mentor.
But so is having the confidence to admit your imperfections and willingness to seek out answers and guidance along with your mentee.
Show them that this is what successful people do. -
Step 2: Don’t panic if you don’t know an answer.
Mentors are not computers or encyclopedias that have all the answers on a certain subject.
Remember, this is a good thing, not a sign of your inadequacy.
Turn your uncertainty regarding an answer into a learning (and mentoring) opportunity.Instead of making up a response or ignoring a question you’re not sure about, turn it back over to your mentee.
Ask them something like "So how would you do it?".
Listen to their response and find a way to build on it, with further questions, clarifications, or guidance. , If your mentee doesn’t have legitimate reasons to look up to you, respect you, and accept that you “practice what you preach,” why should they want you as a mentor to begin with? Set the right example both in how you approach the mentoring relationship and how you “live” the guidance you give.Be punctual, prepared, and engaged for mentoring sessions.
If it seems like a chore or a punishment for either of you, the relationship isn’t working.
Mentoring isn’t a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of deal; it can, however, be a “do as I do, not as I’ve done” situation, in which you draw upon your past mistakes and failures for useful guidance. , Being a good mentor means being able to be objective and fair with your coaching and criticism.
If this means you can’t be “buddy-buddy” with your mentee, so be it.
Good mentors share a few similarities with good parents — one of them being that they don’t obsess over whether or not they’re “friends” with their charges.This doesn’t mean that you can’t be a good mentor to a friend, though.
You just have to make sure that your friendship doesn’t prevent you from giving the honest feedback that is necessary in a good mentoring relationship.
Also, “don’t (necessarily) be a friend” isn’t the same thing as “don’t be friendly.” Be kind, approachable, and encouraging to your mentee; be an attentive and compassionate listener.
Use discretion in regards to what is shared with you during sessions. -
Step 3: Set a good example.
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Step 4: Be a guide for certain
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Step 5: and a friend if possible.
Detailed Guide
The main focus of being a mentor is to provide guidance as best you can, and to stay positive for both of you.
If there's something you're both finding difficult, don't be afraid to ask someone else for help — such as a teacher if you're in school, an expert in the subject, someone more senior than you at your workplace, etc.Good mentors don’t need to know everything; in fact, they need to know that they don’t know everything.
Experience, expertise, and a record of success are all valuable attributes in a mentor.
But so is having the confidence to admit your imperfections and willingness to seek out answers and guidance along with your mentee.
Show them that this is what successful people do.
Mentors are not computers or encyclopedias that have all the answers on a certain subject.
Remember, this is a good thing, not a sign of your inadequacy.
Turn your uncertainty regarding an answer into a learning (and mentoring) opportunity.Instead of making up a response or ignoring a question you’re not sure about, turn it back over to your mentee.
Ask them something like "So how would you do it?".
Listen to their response and find a way to build on it, with further questions, clarifications, or guidance. , If your mentee doesn’t have legitimate reasons to look up to you, respect you, and accept that you “practice what you preach,” why should they want you as a mentor to begin with? Set the right example both in how you approach the mentoring relationship and how you “live” the guidance you give.Be punctual, prepared, and engaged for mentoring sessions.
If it seems like a chore or a punishment for either of you, the relationship isn’t working.
Mentoring isn’t a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of deal; it can, however, be a “do as I do, not as I’ve done” situation, in which you draw upon your past mistakes and failures for useful guidance. , Being a good mentor means being able to be objective and fair with your coaching and criticism.
If this means you can’t be “buddy-buddy” with your mentee, so be it.
Good mentors share a few similarities with good parents — one of them being that they don’t obsess over whether or not they’re “friends” with their charges.This doesn’t mean that you can’t be a good mentor to a friend, though.
You just have to make sure that your friendship doesn’t prevent you from giving the honest feedback that is necessary in a good mentoring relationship.
Also, “don’t (necessarily) be a friend” isn’t the same thing as “don’t be friendly.” Be kind, approachable, and encouraging to your mentee; be an attentive and compassionate listener.
Use discretion in regards to what is shared with you during sessions.
About the Author
Patrick Myers
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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