What kind of person should you be if you want be an amazing mentor? What should you do and what behavior works best in this role? Follow these tips offered by the management.about.com website.
Listening – the ultimate form of respect
Great mentors are “present“. They are sincerely interested in their mentees and are incredibly focused. They give their mentees their full attention, meaning that they turn off their phones and shut their doors when the mentee is present; therefore, they are seen as great listeners. The first thing people notice is that the mentor is present here and now for them, listening carefully. This skill is actually often used demonstrate presence – through eye contact, attentive body language and other nonverbal signs of attention. Mentors understand that sometimes all their mentee needs is to be heard and understood.
The importance of being asked
Truly amazing mentors don’t just throw about advice and tips. They ask awesome questions regularly, because that is an effective way to help their mentee clarify his thoughts. By asking, they help to solve problems. Mentors also try to learn from their mentees.
Promises are kept by great mentors
A meeting with a mentor usually ends with a to-do list. Mentors are very good at summarization and they are clear about who is to do what by when. At the beginning of the next meeting, they report what they have done. They act as role models for personal accountability. This is why they are not happy when their mentees fail to complete homework and selected assignments. Mentors are then very straightforward when they point out that completing homework is necessary if the mentoring relationship is to continue and last.
They tell stories
They are skilled listeners, and also great story-tellers. Mentors do tell compelling stories, but they never overuse it. They know that one story during a mentoring session is enough.
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