8 Dos & Don\’ts for a Great Mentor

by | Jun 8, 2015 | BD Voice | 0 comments

\"mentoring\"

 

While I have had mentors throughout my life – colleagues, boss, friends, parents and my own brother – none of them were formal or structured mentoring. I was nominated for a Global Women leadership Mentoring program in 2012 which was my first experience of a Structured Mentoring Program. The program was sponsored by Fortune & US State department and we had women from different regions of the world being mentored by Fortune 500 Global Women leaders for a month.

\”This experience made me realize how structured mentoring can lead to leadership.\”

While formal mentoring has its own advantages but it can also be ineffective at times. I personally had both – great and not so great experiences with my mentors. But as someone who has been both a mentor and a mentee, I want to share a few tips for mentors to guide their mentees in a more meaningful way.

At the very minimum, relationship skills required for mentoring include, showing kindness, practicing patience and flexibility, and conveying a sense of appreciation for the individual’s accomplishments. Following are some additional suggestions for mentors:

DOs

  • Respect your mentee’s time as much as your own.
  • Be explicit about the ‘norms’ for your meetings and your own needs and limits (e.g., time, style of interfacing, etc.).
  • Always ask if you can make a suggestion or offer feedback.
  • Tell your mentee that she is not expected to follow all of your suggestions.
  • Expect your mentee to move toward his/her goals; not yours.
  • Express appreciation for any help your mentee gives you.
  • Recognize and work through conflicts in a respectful way; invite discussions of differences.
  • Keep the door open for your mentee to contact you in the future—if that is your wish.

DON’Ts

  • Assume that your schedule always has priority.
  • Commit unless you have the time .
  • Make your mentee guess about the ground rules for your meetings.
  • Automatically give advice or criticism.
  • Assume your advice will be followed.
  • Expect a clone of yourself.
  • Take your mentee for granted or assume the she/he doesn’t need positive reinforcement.
  • End the relationship on a sour note.

A mentoring program done right can be very effective. It offers many benefits to an organization as it develops a growing, seasoned workforce, increases productivity, improves strategic planning and provides better succession planning and cost-effective training.

To know more about Biz Divas Mentoring Leadership program or to apply, please click here.

 

Get in touch with us

We’re here to listen, collaborate, and make things happen. Whether you have questions, ideas, or opportunities to explore, we’re just an email away. Reach out to us at communications@beyondiversity.com