If you are of the conviction that mentoring is the same as tutor-student or instructor-trainee relation, then you are mistaken, my friend. You sure need to update your facts about it. And that’s where this blog comes in. From what is mentoring to what are the most inherent mentoring skills, I will tell you all about it here.
Dive in now!
WHAT IS MENTORING?
Mentoring is usually a one-to-one professional relationship between a mentor (elder and more experienced person) and a mentee (young and avid person ready to gain knowledge). The purpose of mentoring is substantial support for professional growth and development. Take, for example, a manager training an associate manager about the roles and responsibilities of a manager. At a deeper level, they can also reflect on personal issues if required.
Another thing to learn about mentoring is how it differs from coaching? Unlike coaching, mentors are permissible to further bolster mentees with advice and guidance. Though, it is up to the mentee to act on the advice or not.
HOW DOES MENTORING BENEFIT A MENTOR?
Although it may seem that mentoring benefits only the mentee, but in reality, it benefits the mentor as well. Want to know how?
Mentoring beefs up the following things for a mentor:
- Develop and exercise coaching skills
- Share and strengthen the acquired knowledge and experience through engagement with a mentee
- Worthwhile opportunity to extend support to others
- Validation of workplace satisfaction, motivation, and peer recognition
- Render and amp up self-reflection and cultivate specific skills
HOW DOES A MENTORING BENEFIT A MENTEE?
Mentoring has all-around goodies for the mentee and shapes the path of career development in posterity. These benefits include:
- Practical advice on preparing a good approach for the job hunt
- Recommendation and suggestions on their career planning and the shift from undergraduates to young professionals
- Holistic growth achievement for a specific career that could constitute Learning, technological and interpersonal skills
- Increased self-awareness and self-confidence for better performance
- Taking insights from the mentor’s career to weave own path to success
- An informal business communication network.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MENTORING SKILLS?
Let’s ponder over the skills that need a consistent display on the part of both parties (mentor and mentee).
The core skills deemed to be shown by both are:
1. LISTEN ACTIVELY
The warp of stellar mentoring stands on active listening. Doesn’t matter if you are a mentor or a mentee, you have to listen actively to the other candidate. What happens when you listen properly? It is proof that you are hearing out and paying heed to what the other person has to say. The saying or concern does mean something to you and you appear to be genuinely interested. Meanwhile, open-minded listening sows the seeds of trust.
2. TRUST BUILDING
As a matter of fact, both mentor and mentee are going to spend time together. And for the professional relationship to flourish trust is the deciding factor. But, trust is not something that develops overnight. It takes time and effort.
The twin coordination of mentor-mentee in respecting each other, stating and tactfully resenting, accepting mistakes and other such practices lead to ripe trust.
3. CONSTRUING GOALS
Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, you have to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve through the mentoring process. As a learner, the mentee would want to know the goals and establishments of the mentor and how you plan to achieve them.
Simultaneously, the mentee must convene personal goals to the mentor so that he can proceed further with the mentoring process accordingly. Thus, to avert any confusion and contrasting after-effects, it’s always better to put your goals on the table.
4. ENCOURAGE POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Positive reinforcement is an encouraging component leading to improvement and recognition. Both mentor and mentee should transcend positive feedback to each other on a regular basis. While the encouragement will make the mentee feel more confident and surge development, receiving authentic feedback will make the mentor motivated and focussed.
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