The Secret to Being a Good Mentor Lies in the Intent to Help

Being a good mentor is not easy because no one really teaches you how to teach someone. There are many different ways to approach mentorship and every individual seeking a mentor requires something different. Despite the differences, there are some general considerations that all mentors could benefit from, mentorship best practices that continue the chain of influence and support from your career to the next. If you’re looking for a mentorship guide to get you started on the right track toward becoming an influential presence in another compatriot’s life, here are some things to keep in mind.

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Being a Good Mentor—First-Time Mentor Tips

According to Gartner, 84 percent of Fortune 500 companies and 100 percent of Fortune 50 companies have mentorship programs. Additionally, those who have mentors are five times more likely to be promoted and their retention rates are also higher. Mentorship programs have a very important role to play in the success of an organization. Some organizations don’t have an official mentorship program which is unfortunate, but employees still seek out a senior team member they can consult with on critical topics. The transfer of learning is more efficient when there is a set structure for the mentor-mentee relationship to follow.

Knowing how to mentor efficiently is a skill that comes in handy a little later in your career, but it’s a useful one to master all the same. In a work context, a mentor is a professional advisor who is experienced enough to guide other newer, younger workers to find their place within the workplace. Mentors are experienced individuals who have in-depth knowledge of a particular subject or field and can impart that information to others. Not all of the guidance mentors provide has to strictly do with work tasks. Mentors also provide advice on career choices and suggestions on matters that overlap with the personal realm occasionally, but their role is one of a work supporter, not a therapist. 

Mentorship best practices suggest that mentors need to have some degree of expertise in a field and also know how to impart it efficiently. Not all individuals with vast reserves of knowledge find themselves skilled at sharing that information with others, which is why being a good mentor can be tough.

Understand The Mentees’ Goals

To start on this list of first-time mentorship tips, consider beginning a mentorship role by understanding what the mentee wants. After conversing with them, you might have an idea of some areas where the mentee might need help, but don’t start by giving them advice about the things you want to share. Understand why the individuals signed up for the mentorship program and what they were hoping to learn from you. Over time, you can incorporate your own advice and feedback when they agree on exploring other areas of improvement with you. 

Create Targets Together With the Mentee

Being a good mentor involves setting goals together with the mentee. Some mentees only have a vague idea of what they want to achieve but don’t have clarity on how to achieve it. A mentor can help mentees create reasonable short-term goals that they can work towards together. This makes the mentor-mentee relationship easier to handle for the individual and it can also give them a boost of confidence when they start to meet their targets. 

A critical part of the mentor’s role is to help individuals become more sure of their abilities and gain a clear perspective of who they are and what they are capable of. Understand them as people first and employees second. 

Listen Carefully—You Don’t Need to Have Advice Ready Every Single Time

You might believe that you need to have advice ready at the tip of your tongue at a moment’s notice, but that isn’t true. Sometimes, all a mentee needs is someone who listens and explores their perspective with them. If you’re in pursuit of mentorship best practices, then learn to be a good listener and understand what is being said. If a mentee wants advice, you don’t need a perfect solution ready every time.

Ask questions and discuss the options available to the mentee to establish how they want to proceed next. Think back to your own personal experiences and explore whether you can recollect any similar experiences that might provide some insight. At the end of the day, the mentee will have to do what is best for them and the mentor is only a sounding board for ideas.

Learn When You Can and Acknowledge Their Insight

Being a good mentor often means being a good listener in more ways than one. Understanding the mentee and their opinions is one part of the role, but these individuals also have a lot you can learn from. Their experiences and learnings may be different from what you’ve picked up on the job, and they might be able to provide you with a new perspective that refreshes your approach to your work. With changing times and the introduction of newer technology, these younger employees are often more well-versed in working with the latest tools. Take the time out to ask them questions every once in a while and acknowledge their knowledge on topics when you do. 

Put Growth First: Mentorship Best Practices

Another helpful first-time mentor tip is to guide mentees to prioritize growth over every other form of success. At the beginning of our careers, we have all had moments where we wanted to move up the hierarchy as quickly as possible. Even without fully understanding our work or what titles like “Manager” and “Senior” mean, we’ve been in pursuit of being leaders without building the skills for it. 

As a mentor, you have a great opportunity to shape how these individuals perceive growth and expand on their potential in a measured manner. Explore their real career goals with them and identify the skills they need to work on rather than sprinting towards roles they will not be prepared for. 

Explore Mistakes Together 

One of the hardest parts of being a good mentor is discussing the mentee’s mistakes and weaknesses. You might prefer to focus on their strengths and shower them with praise to build their confidence, but their growth will remain incomplete if they don’t work on areas that need improvement. If you’re in pursuit of mentorship best practices, then create a system where you and the mentee regularly explore how they have handled tasks recently and what they could do to improve their performance next time. 

Give Constructive Feedback 

When you do end up exploring mistakes with them, saying they did a “terrible job” and leaving it that is not helpful. They likely already know that they haven’t performed to the best of their abilities. Don’t mock them for the errors but help them document the issues and note how they want to improve their approach. If they are unable to identify an error or a better strategy, give constructive feedback that they can actually put to use. 

When mentees are overwhelmed by the magnitude of their error, you might have to hold back on criticism and provide them with a listening ear instead. Being able to interpret the situation correctly will be a skill you gain with time but that’s what being a good mentor means.

Reassess Goals Regularly

Every once in a while, pause and make edits to your own personal mentorship guide. Check-in with the mentee regularly to understand how they are progressing towards their goal. If their performance is stagnating, you may need to change your approach to mentoring just as they make changes to their game plan. An employee’s goals may also evolve over time and these check-ins can help with discussions on what that means for their careers and how they should approach the situation overall. 

Introduce Them to Your Professional Circles

One of the biggest benefits of having a mentor may just be gaining access to new professional circles. When you’re learning how to mentor, you may find it helpful to reach out to a few trusted contacts and understand their approach to mentorship. Over time, you can also consider introducing your mentees to these trusted few, to help them younger workers grow professionally and increase the number of role models they have to learn from. 

Being a good mentor doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it is a role that you can learn and prepare for. These mentorship best practices can help you get started, and over time, you’ll find it helpful to develop your own mentorship guide that showcases your well-perfected approach to being a reliable mentor. 

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