Mentoring the right way

In simple terms mentoring is about passing your knowledge and skills to the next person. It is the primary step in passing on your expertise to help raise the entire field and business to higher levels that can span more than a single lifetime. 

Reasons to be a mentor.

People ask you for guidance - When you have achieved the success that inspires people, who want to emulate you, then they will come looking for your help to follow your path. A project manager completes his entire project in time, within budget and with quality. People would always want to know the processes they followed to get the same results.  

Providing job training - In the case of a new hire or a promotion/transfer, you would have to make sure that the new person is able to handle your job before you leave it. Training a person like this comes under mentoring as it involves the same structure even though it is the last thing that comes in mind when discussing the term mentors. 

Helping your leader fulfill his role- This happens more like an order than an option, as you are asked to guide someone who is new to the leadership role of the firm. In a company, this happens when the most experienced people are asked by management to help the new boss familiarize themselves with all the processes and systems.

What it means to be a mentor?

Being a mentor can be defined as more of a relationship than a structured position in an organization. It can fluctuate between completely casual to extremely professional. It is a relationship of experience sharing, knowledge passing and helping someone achieve your level. 

It is important to understand some of the aspects of being a mentor. Firstly, you need to make sure that you are going to be fully committed as it will require a lot of time and effort on your end. Also, need to make sure the mentee is as committed as you are. Secondly, you will have to be patient, any teaching role requires a person to have the patience to be able to explain the things in detail. You will also need to be honest with them about their issues and feedback to make a deeper understanding. Finally, you also need to be open and approachable towards your mentee so he feels comfortable discussing his doubts with you and also provides you feedback that will make you a better mentor.  

Advantages of being a mentor.

Mentoring not only allows you to sharpen mentor skills while teaching but if done correctly, can also be used as an exercise for you to learn from your mentee. 

It also helps establish a great relationship between the two persons based on trust and respect. A mentoring relationship in a corporate setup can transform into a career encompassing relationships that helps them in advancing their mutual careers and problem-solving.  The people you mentored always have strong ties with you and become create advocates of your skill and can act as references. 

There is also the altruistic benefit of having helped someone. 

How to be a good mentor?

Set The Expectations: You need to set the boundaries of the relationship. What comes under the setup and what does not. It helps keep a productive relationship and avoid any future confusion. 

1. Set Protocols: You will need to establish the framework and set things like time of meetings, where the meetings will be held and how each party is getting there. This prevents each other from taking undue advantage and mismanaging time. 
3. Set Goals: Unless you develop a timeline and assign certain tasks to them you may not achieve the desired results. Not having deadlines do not allow you to be effective in getting results as there would not be an end goal based on the commitment of time causing burnouts or time wastes. 
4. Track Progress: You will have to keep track of the progress to ensure that the mentee is on the right track of learning. This is the best way to make sure that actual progress is being made.