The importance of a Mentor – Part Two
The importance of the Mentor – Part Two.Skills that make for a good mentor, what to look for and just who should be your guide – Continuing from pervious blog posting 6th January
Efficient – you know how to get your message across, you know how to say it a few different ways to ensure it is received and you know when to end a conversation after the information has been exchanged. You are good at what you do because you always manage your time well and you can do that with appropriate communication to the situation. You don’t waste your own time, so you certainly don’t waste anyone else’s. You also know when someone is wasting your time and you will manage that too.
Honesty – it’s not a trait that will necessarily win you friends, but you know it is a necessary one for assisting others. You know when to offer a feedback whether it is positive or negative. You know when to challenge the thinking of the other party and when to let them work their own way to a solution. You know when to call them out and when to call them on the phone to remind them how awesome they are. And you are also good enough to do this more than once if needed. This skill is no good without a sense of giving, otherwise you are just as blunt as Thor’s hammer in your delivery.
Failure – no fear. You don’t pretend that you haven’t failed, because we all have in one way or another. It’s called the human condition. However, you don’t fear it. Out of every failure comes a learning experience, a new way of approaching a problem. Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old ones. You encourage others to learn from old mistakes so that they can make new mistakes, instead of repeating history.
I hope this has helped you in finding what kind of mentor you need, understanding what it means to be a mentor and inspires you to be challanged by your own personal mentoring program and in the future be a strong mentor to those surrounding you in your professional and personal life.
Being a mentor offers new insights through seeing problems from another perspective you may not have had yourself. It gives a sense of purpose to the learning that you have had over the years.
You will never know the pleasure of seeing someone else take your knowledge, apply it and enjoy their own success as a result. You may not ever get credit for the changes you have assisted in others. What matters that it feels right for you to be a mentor.