Am I Meant to Mentor? Five Attributes of Best-in-Class MentorsGet Coaching Information on mps-coaching.com. Am I Meant to Mentor? Five Attributes of Best-in-Class Mentors topic will increase your understanding on Coaching Information. We at mps-coaching.com only provide news, articles, information in Coaching Information. Coaching Information at mps-coaching.com provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
As a young consultant I really thought I had it all together. I was getting great ratings, great raises, and wonderful accolades from clients. Because I (in my own mind) thought I was such hot stuff, I was not active in seeking out advice from more experienced colleagues. After all, what could they teach me? As I matured from an inexperienced hot-shot to an experienced manager, I developed a much stronger appreciation for the wisdom my more experienced colleagues could impart. This appreciation didn't happen naturally; I had to get my butt chewed off a bunch of times to realize that a wiser and more experienced colleague could help me get through the tough times and learn from my mistakes. I also needed a wiser colleague to hold a mirror up to my face to help me see my weaknesses. I needed (and still need) a mentor to help me be more effective as a leader. Whether for personal or professional reasons, having a mentor to turn to for advice and counsel is a very effective means of transforming knowledge into wisdom. Before I go any further, let's get a definition of wisdom in place: Knowledge + Experience = Wisdom In a mentoring relationship, a mentoree, or person being mentored, typically brings a lot of knowledge to the table. The mentoree has learned the fundamentals of how to do his or her job and can probably do the basics well. The mentor, or the person doing the mentoring, provides experience. The mentor provides perspective on what to do when things aren't optimal or when difficult situations crop up. When the experience from the mentor is transferred to the mentoree, it accelerates the wisdom building process because the mentoree now doesn't have to learn solely through his or her own mistakes. The mentoree is able to learn from a combination of his own mistakes and the mentor's advice. For mentoring relationships to work well, I've found several items to be very important: The mentor should not have a direct reporting relationship with the mentoree. The mentoree can feel free to speak about issues which may be plaguing him without fear of retribution from a boss. The mentor must want to be a mentor. Mentoring is an incredibly important responsibility that is likely over and above any other existing responsibilities. If the leader doesn't want to be a mentor, she is going to view the time spent mentoring as a nuisance. The mentoree should have a desire for a mentor. The mentoree needs to see the value in the relationship and have a desire to benefit from the relationship, otherwise both parties will just go through the motions until their time is over. Be a best-in-class mentor by zeroing in on these five attributes: 1. Be available for your mentoree - You need to define how much time you are able to spend in a mentoring relationship and commit the time to do it. If you're just too busy to mentor, don't do it. 2. Make listening a priority - A mentor who listens will understand the struggles and issues a mentoree experiences and can better help him with a solution. The best listening mentor assumes little when talking with the mentoree; she lets the mentoree communicate his struggles and issues, then targets what is most important. Just as important, a listening mentor builds trust with the mentoree. 3. Keep confidences - Any particulars about the mentoring relationship are between the mentor and the mentoree, period. As a mentor, assume that everything about the relationship is off limits for others and ensure that if anything about the relationship is found out it is because the mentoree has divulged it, not you as the mentor. 4. Tell it straight - Mentoring relationships where the mentor and mentoree can have direct and constructive discussions are highly beneficial to the mentoree's growth. Telling it straight means discussions are constructive, respectful, and specific. Just remember to build trust in the relationship first by being a good listener and keeping confidences. 5. Have the courage to stop if the relationship isn't working - If you're having a difficult time connecting on common interests, if meetings with the mentoree feel like more of an obligation versus something you look forward to, or if mentorees don't pursue meeting, it may be time to call it quits. Some relationships just aren't meant to be, so accept it and move on. Do look at the reasons the relationship didn't work out and look for patterns you as a mentor should address that maybe you can work on with your mentor. Put these five attributes into action to help you be a best-in-class mentor. Do this well and you give something priceless to your mentoree: wisdom. Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Kirk Mango, a coach, national champion, 3-Time All-American, Hall of Fame Athlete and writer working on a book, “Becoming A True Champion” about why talent is over-rated. He talks about why hard work, commitment and strong mental game skills are just as, if not more important, than talent in youth sports. Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
More Articles:1. Coaching: Change Made Simple By Jeff Herring Heres a story that I think gets at why we have such difficulty with change.I was 8 years old and my parents gave me a dollar to go to the toy store with my best friend and his mom. I found a Frankenstein model that I had been wanting that cost 88 cents, but I put it back on the shelf. When my friends mom asked me why I put it back, I said because all I had was a dollar, the model cost 88 cents and I didnt want to get in trouble by wasting 12 cents. She then explained to me that if I gave t… 2. The Difference Between Approval and Appreciation By Margaret Paul, Ph.D. Having worked with individuals, couples, families and business partners for 35 years, helping them learn to resolve conflict, I have often been faced with the difficulties that occur when people are confused about the difference between approval with appreciation. Have you ever wondered about the difference between approval and appreciation? Most of us have never actually thought about it, yet if we do think about it, we realize that we feel very differently when we receive approval as opposed… 3. Essence of Awakeness By Susan Sheppard Be conscious, aware, and alert. Pay attention. Remember when you were in elementary school and the teacher used to say pay attention now, this is important? Well, this is important. Wake up! What does it take to wake up an adult? Many people go through life on automatic, doing life as it comes along. What kind of things occurs that is considered a wake up call? The death of a loved one, a miracle, a near death experience, the birth of a child, a divorce, a marriage, a spiritual experie… 4. The Power of Online Memberships By Andrea J. Lee Have you ever noticed geese flying overhead, whether that be south for the winter, or back home in the spring? In Canada where I live, this is a regular sight and a sure sign of the seasons passing. From time to time, it's easy to notice that there is a certain pattern to the flying geese. Often, they fly in formation, in a shape that makes it easier to fly as a group than alone, something that conserves energy for the trip. Online memberships, when built right, are built on the same phi… |
||||
