Education/training | Making Connections | Personal Advancement | Self-employment | Career Options

Personal Advancement

Mentor meets mentee

PART III: MASTERING MENTORSHIP

In this third and final editorial, we will establish a framework for encouraging an ongoing "growth oriented" interaction between mentor and mentee.

LEWENA BAYER & KAREN MALLETT

Send to a friend

In what work environment would you thrive? To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.

In this third and final editorial, we will establish a framework for encouraging an ongoing "growth oriented" interaction between mentor and mentee.

There are three main steps to "Master Mentorship". Here are some goals/guidelines associated with each step.

Step 1: Recognize the role of "mentor" and identify the challenges, rewards and responsibilities involved.

To gain insight into your capacity for attitude towards mentorship-answer the following questions:

How would you describe the role of "mentor"?

Have you ever had a mentor?

What do you think are the challenges of "mentoring"?

What do you think are the top four qualities of a "great mentor"?

Are there any challenges/difficulties that a mentor might face?

How would you choose a protege?

What are the benefits of mentorship to the mentor?

How would you describe your coaching style?

What is your most memorable learning experience?

What are your goals for the next year and how do you propose to achieve them?

What do you think is the best way to instill confidence in others?

What motivates you?

Give an example of constructive criticism.

Step 2: Assess your personal/professional skills and judge compatibility between mentor/mentored.

Consider your personal strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate what traits you can pass on the "mentee" and what characteristics you will strive to improve on. Mentorship requires consistently presenting a professional, polished image and leading by example. It is important to determine how your strengths balance with the strengths of your protege and whether or not you can compensate for their weaknesses. Also important, will your own weaknesses result in the "mentee" failing to grow in important areas? If so, you'll need to find a way to solve this problem. Once you've evaluated the potential in the "mentee" you can adopt an appropriate coaching style.

Step 3: Outline a mentorship strategy and initiate a "growth plan".

One of the fundamental issues in effective mentorship is understanding how vision initiates purposeful action. Learn to communicate your experiential education effectively,

Consider the role of creative thinking, problem solving and risk management skills in performance and set realistic goals. Ultimately you want to instill confidence in those who aim to learn from you and it will be necessary to foster a supportive learning environment. This entails providing feedback and constructive criticism in an appropriate way as well as establishing reward and incentive programs. Don't forget to practice a positive attitude and remember that you motivate by your actions.

To summarize, Becoming a mentor, be it by choice, designation or assignment- is both a tremendous compliment and a great deal of responsibility. "Making your experience someone else's education" takes commitment and skill. Close self-examination and an attitude of "growth oriented coaching" can be mutually beneficial to both mentor and "mentee" and the road to mastering mentorship can be very rewarding both professionally and personally.