Many young people lack positive mentors in their lives. Becoming a mentor is a great way to serve your community, pass on your knowledge and skills, and have a positive impact on a young person’s life.
Plus, being a mentor isn’t just good for the mentee. Mentoring will help you in numerous ways. These six tips will help you become a good mentor.
1. Create Ground Rules and Establish Expectations
It is important to make it clear what both parties can expect from the relationship at the beginning.
Tell your mentee what you intend your role to be, what you are prepared to do, and what you expect in return.
Be prepared to answer any questions your mentee may have about the mentoring process.
2. Determine Your Mentee’s Needs
You don’t want to waste your time or damage the relationship by focusing on areas the mentee doesn’t need or want your help with.
For example, if you’re a highly respected attorney, but your mentee isn’t interested in going to law school, don’t try to push him into following in your footsteps.
Instead, find ways your skills can help the mentee with his goals.
3. Establish Goals
Once you know what your mentee’s needs are, the two of you should work together to establish goals that are specific, measurable, and attainable.
Once you have some goals established, prioritize them and set deadlines for accomplishing them.
4. Make a Schedule
Decide how often you and your mentee will meet. Establish a meeting place.
If you want to make yourself available by phone, email, text, video chat, or other means, provide your mentee with your contact information and the days and times you will be available.
Set realistic time restraints. Offer your mentee enough availability that he can expect to benefit from the relationship, but not so much that you become resentful of the commitment or simply can’t meet the expectations you have set.
5. Allow Your Mentee To Make Decisions
Don’t get in the habit of telling your mentee what to do.
Your goal should be to pass on the skills needed to make good decisions.
Your mentee will make more progress if you allow him to work through problems on his own and use you for guidance, rather than answers.
6. Listen Before You Offer Advice
As top entertainment lawyer, John Branca has said about his work with Adventures of the Mind, it is exciting to see young people who are excited about their future.
You were probably motivated to become a mentor because you are eager to jump in and share all your hard-earned knowledge and experience; however, you should take some time to actively listen to your mentee before you start telling him what to do.
Ask your mentee what he thinks and consider his perspective. You don’t want the relationship to be a one-way street.
Becoming a mentor can be a rewarding experience for both the mentor and the mentee.
These six tips will help you on your way to being a great mentor.