Key Qualities of a Good Mentor

Being a mentor means that you have gained an amount of wisdom or knowledge in a particular area or just life in general. This could be from being in a successful position, years of experience in your field or going through certain life experiences. The other important aspect of being a mentor is to have someone that actually looks up to you. You probably had a mentor while growing up. It may have been a professor at college, your boss at work, or even a family friend that you looked up to. Now it’s your turn to give back to society by guiding and educating your mentee.

If you already have a person looking up to you, then your task is to provide them with your wisdom at the right time and in a form that is meaningful to them. Give them your valuable instructions and life lessons that you learned from your mistakes, experience and training. Transforming one person’s life will be the ultimate satisfaction that you can get in this age.

Below are some of the extraordinary qualities of a good mentor; The more of these that you can include and develop within your own style, the more effective a mentor you will become:

1. Ability to Clearly Deliver Your Life Lessons

If a young person considers you to be their mentor, then it most probably means that they are looking for your wisdom and guidance in a particular field or in life. Therefore, you should be able to give advice and lessons in an easy way so that your mentee can understand. As Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.”

This means that you not only have to be confident in your understanding of what you have to offer, but also in your understanding of your mentee and how best to interact with them.

2. Keep a Positive Attitude and Act as a Good Role Model

Your mentee believes that you are an experienced and most likely quite a successful person in your field. Therefore, you need to show a positive and caring attitude towards them. You need to display all the positive qualities that you possess and also those which helped you become successful in your field. It will be just as important to demonstrate the qualities you wish to share with your mentee then to just talk about them in order to deliver the right message. This is because people learn by observing and copying the actions of people they admire even more so then what they hear. Conversely, if your actions do not match your words, they will not only lose faith in you, but also will most likely take the wrong message.

3. Show You Interest in Mentoring

One of the best qualities of a good mentor is showing interest whenever they are with their mentee. You need to display that you are invested in the business of mentoring through your actions. Be approachable and friendly so that your mentees can feel comfortable opening up to you. You should ensure they feel you are an accommodating person who is invested in the mentoring relationship as much as they are. Take some time out of your busy routine to focus on your mentee during your scheduled catch-ups and where possible when they contact you outside of your regular meetings. Try not to reschedule your regular meetings if possible and if you say you will get back to them, make sure you do. The more you show the mentee that you are invested in them, the more they will get out of the relationship.

4. Honesty with Diplomacy

You need to be straightforward towards your mentee about anything they ask you. Never beat around the bush as it makes you look like you don’t have a clue. If a person is looking up to you, then they expect honest answers. However, instead of addressing a straightforward answer every time, engage them in a debate. Ask about their opinion about why they want to take that certain step in their career. After determining their aspirations and goals, you can give them an honest advice with examples from your past experiences. It is often more beneficial to lead them on the journey of discovery rather than try to tell them the answer. Despite your own experience and knowledge, the answer will likely be different for your mentee, however it is your experience and knowledge that will help guide them to their answer. Just as importantly, if you do not know the answer to a question you have been asked, be honest, tell them you aren’t sure but will get back to them. Just remember, as mentioned above, if you say you will get back to them in a certain timeframe, make sure you get back to them when you said.

5. Keep Up to Date with the Latest Trends in Your Industry

Technology is rapidly changing every field. What was relevant a decade ago or even a year ago, might not be a trend anymore. Therefore, you need to stay up to date with whatever is happening in your field. This is equally true for leadership trends, for as the generations change, the way leaders and mentors interact with their teams and mentees changes. Keeping up to date and continuously learning is an important part of any career. This is what likely helped you on your way to being someone that a younger person wanted as a mentor, so it shouldn’t stop now that you have become one. It is also likely that your mentee is across most of the latest trends, so you will need to guide them on how to evaluate these and chose the right ones to pursue in their career.

The Mentor – Mentee relationship is a very important aspect of both of your lives. It needs to be nurtured and given the attention it needs. By focusing on the qualities above and having a defined goal for the relationship, you will both get great benefit.