How to Become a Better Mentor
Introduction
Mentoring is one of the most important skills you can possess. It can help you to grow as a person, build connections with others and have an impact on someone else's life.
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| 5 Ways to Become a Better Mentor |
If you're looking for ways to become a better mentor, here are seven tips I've found useful.
Be open to new ideas
There are many ways you can show this, but here's one simple example: if a student asks for help writing an essay, don't just tell them what they should do (i.e., write something). Instead, ask them why they want your help and how they're planning on using the information in the essay.
Once you understand their goals better, then it's easier for both of you to figure out whether or not there's anything else going on with the paper that needs fixing before sending it off as-is or working together on a revision plan that includes feedback from both of us (and maybe even some suggestions from outside sources).
Be a listener, not just a talker
One of the biggest misconceptions about mentoring is that it's all about talking. The reality is that you'll get much more done and have a better connection if you listen more than talk. Listening helps you understand the other person's perspective and needs, which in turn helps you understand their values as well.
Listening is a skill that takes practice. If you're not used to it, you'll find yourself wanting to fill up silences with words instead of letting the other person talk. Soon enough though, you'll see how much better your conversations go when you let them express themselves without interruption.
There's a reason why people say, "It's better to be heard than to speak." That's because speaking only allows one person to express their thoughts and feelings at a time. But when you listen, both parties can share what they want for everyone involved can have their needs met.
Mentoring is a two-way street. You'll get more out of it if you listen as much as you talk, and the other person will feel heard. When we're not heard, we tend to be resentful or even hostile toward those who ignore us. Nobody likes feeling invisible.
Show empathy towards a protege's situation
Empathy is a key part of mentoring. It's not just being nice or making them feel better, but being able to see the world from your protege's perspective and truly understand where they're coming from.
When you're trying to get your protege to perform better, it can be helpful if you can show empathy for their situation: what they've been through in the past, how they feel about themselves and their abilities at this moment in time, etc.
Share Relevant Experiences
As a mentor, you can use your own experience to share with others. For example, if you’re a parent and want to help out at school or community events with your child’s peers, tell them about how it went for you and how it felt when the kids were running around like crazy (or in some cases, not so much). You might also be able to share stories about how things went wrong with someone else's mentee and what lessons they learned from those experiences.
If someone is struggling with something specific like being shy in front of new people or failing an assignment because they aren't taking enough notes during class time then talk about ways that person could improve their situation by way of self-assessment/reflection before actually talking about it directly.
Lead By Example
Lead by example
Show the way
Be the mentor you want to see
Be a good role model, listener,
communicator and teacher for others. A good mentor is someone who can teach their mentees how to become better at what they do and what it means to succeed in life. This can be done by showing them examples of success or failure from their own life experiences as well as sharing stories of other successful people who did similar things but had different outcomes based on their circumstances at that time in their lives (e.g., being successful financially).
Mentoring others is an opportunity to show others the way you've learned while helping them grow.
Mentoring others is an opportunity to show others the way you've learned while helping them grow. As a mentor, you can help your mentee see things in new ways and develop as an individual. You'll also benefit from the experience of passing on knowledge and experience to someone else.
Mentoring has many benefits: it's an opportunity to share ideas, pass on advice and wisdom, learn something new yourself (and maybe even improve your skills), build relationships with other professionals within your field—and even make money.
If this sounds like something that interests you then there are lots more reasons why mentoring is worth doing than just helping someone else succeed at work:
Conclusion
Mentoring can be a powerful way to share knowledge and experience, build trust between people and strengthen relationships. Mentoring is also a great opportunity to help others learn more about whatever they're passionate about while having fun too.