Mentors share their knowledge and life experiences; they offer encouragement, inspiration and offer guidance for growth in the different areas of life.
With career in particular, these experts assist mentees to set goals and discover diverse career paths. They guide them towards growth by helping them accomplish their set objectives.
Working as an effective mentor however requires possessing certain abilities that will enable you have an impact on those you mentor.
According to Mutesi Gasana, an entrepreneur and career mentor, mentors ought to let mentees make their own decisions, for example, guide them with advice but allow them to stand independently and make their decisions.
Let them make mistakes and learn from them, that’s how they can grow, she says.
She also stresses that good mentors are those that give honest feedback as this helps mentees to learn from their mistakes, build confidence and use lessons learned to be better. "With feedback, you can allow mentees know their strengths and motivate them to work on areas of weakness.”
Gasana also notes that mentors ought to open up about their mistakes and weaknesses such that their mentees can be able to learn from them.
"Be good at listening. Allowing your mentee to open up about their problem and seek for solutions can help them confide in you and forge a better relationship with you,” she says.
Business News Daily states that good mentors practice empathy as it’s important to relate to your mentees and understand their perspective and feelings. If they’re having a bad day, you should pick up on their energy and work to help them through it.
They should be able to understand how you’re feeling and how to best approach guiding you. You might think empathy cannot be taught, but with practice, you can achieve higher levels of empathy. This requires effort, listening more, being curious about others, appreciating those who are different from you, illuminating any innate judgments, and educating yourself to break false stigmas and ignorant notions.
"To set your mentee on the right path, show them multiple ways of handling difficult situations and talk them through your process. Let them know that they have a choice to how they react to bad news or a failed project. This can be talking to their supervisor when they made a mistake or learning how to regroup when they’ve failed a task.”
Mutesi also adds that regardless of how busy they may be, great mentors spare time for their mentees, a thing that helps them strengthen their relationship.
She also says that mentees need to be assessed. For instance, ask them what their priorities are in meeting with you. Which aspects of their job or career do they want to know about most? What areas are they hoping to improve in?
The Muse website indicates that your mentor should have relevant expertise, and some kind of relevant background. Maybe they’re a few levels or titles ahead of you or have worked in the space you’re interested in for some time. But they should be able to help propel you forward because they’ve been there, seen the landscape, and know what it takes to be successful.