Mentoring

Build Mutual Trust and Respect

• Respect is established when a person receiving mentoring recognizes desirable attributes, skills, and competencies that the mentor has and when the mentor appreciates the attitude, effort, and progress of the mentee.
• Mentors and mentees work together to build trust through candid communication, forecasting how decisions could affect goals, frequent discussion of progress, monitoring changes, and expressing enthusiasm for the relationship.

Listen Actively

The mentor should focus on the mentee’s goals and concerns. Watch body language, maintain eye contact, and understand which topics are difficult for the mentee to discuss. Showing someone that you are listening is a valuable skill. It shows you value what the person is saying and that you will not interrupt them. This requires patience and a willingness to delay judgment.

Get the Mentee Thinking

The best mentors ask questions that make the mentee think differently or more deeply. This is not as easy as it sounds. Simply, think of what you want to tell the mentee and frame a question that will help the mentee come to the same conclusion on their own. To do this, try asking open questions that a simple yes or no cannot answer. Alternatively, ask direct questions that offer several answer options. Then ask the mentee why they chose that particular answer.

Hold to Your Commitment

• Allocate time for mentoring. Set aside specific times to meet; do not change times unless necessary.
• When you meet, resist distractions by controlling the location and minimizing outside noises or people as much as possible.
• Commit to a long-term relationship. Individuals change and grow at different rates, so patience can be valuable. If the relationship is not productive, either party may decide to move on from it.