You want to be a better mentor. What are the best ways to improve your skills?

Setting clear expectations is foundational to a successful mentorship dynamic. In my mentoring experiences, I've found that taking the time to understand my mentee's objectives, strengths, and areas for development is essential for tailoring our interactions effectively. Additionally, I prioritize establishing a cadence for communication and meetings that aligns with both our schedules and preferences, ensuring consistency and reliability in our mentorship journey. By fostering transparent dialogue and mutual understanding from the outset, I aim to create a supportive and productive environment where my mentee feels empowered to pursue their goals with confidence.

In mentoring, you need to set ground rules. This is very crucial as it will set a very good relationship between you and your mentee. These ground rules should put both you and your mentee in check, it should include formalities and modalities to be adhered to. And this needs to be discussed thoroughly such that both parties understand the rules and adhere to it.

By maintaining a growth mindset and embracing change, mentors can create an environment that encourages learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement for both themselves and their mentees. Staying flexible as is crucial for effectively guiding mentees on their developmental journeys. Flexibility means recognizing and accommodating the diverse needs, learning styles, and preferences of each mentee. It involves being adaptable to changing circumstances and remaining open to feedback and input from mentees. A flexible mentor explores various strategies, necessary to facilitate the mentees' growth and success and fosters a supportive and dynamic mentoring relationship.

Focus on growth. 1% everyday improvement is the key to success. Be an active listener. Effective communication. Be a resourceful hub for your mentee. Be reachable. Seek feedback - Have scheduled feedback sessions. Set boundaries - allow them to grow, and check their risk appetite. Maintain confidentiality - they should be comfortable to share their weaknesses or troubles with you .

One of the most challenging aspects I personally had was to find that sweet spot of balance between boss and mentor, where you are not too friendly that you loose your steadiness and your not too bossy that you loose the trust. I would say understand what the person your mentoring reacts better to and what leadership and mentoring style he/she needs to success then move forward from there.

Listening is a skill that can improve with practice. People have different strategies to do this. I tend to imagine how I would think and feel if I were in the mentee's situation. That includes understanding the mentee's more recent experiences at work, implicit family/social pressures, what they think about the future, etc. I ask enough questions to the point that I can paint a basic picture of what this person has been through in the recent past, what this person is going through right now, and how that recent past informs this person's reactions to the current situation. Then I assess whether there are blindspots that I can help point out as a way to help the mentee find a way forward.

Effective listening is perhaps the greatest skill every mentor should have. Listen to your mentee, understand his/her perspective/challenges/thoughts/emotions and then speak. This will help you to emotionally connect with your mentee.

Listening is a skill I have to practice and it comes in multiple phases, some listen to reply and some listen to understand. It's important to give that space for communication to funnel through before jumping into decisions or conclusions.

Being an active listener is really hard. Spend time working on your listening skills. Beyond the stereotypical advice, really listen and repeat often what you heard to make sure you are on the same page.

Sharing your experience is a key differential from coaching, and one of the delights of Mentoring. With your mentee consider the following - your experience is one example, not the be all and end all. Be careful not to project, it can be easy to gown down a specific path of something that is key to you and not the Mentee. Be open to questions and challenge from your Mentee, this is where the relationship blossoms.

Mentoring through sharing experiences, telling stories and providing examples are great ways to build a relationship between a mentor and and mentee. In addition to drawing from past experience, sharing experience in real time, by permitting my mentee to shadow me whenever possible in client/internal meetings is a powerful tool. This allows mentees to witness the potential unpredictability of meetings and observe how unplanned situations may be handled.

One trait that a mentor of mine had - and which I appreciated very much - was bringing me back on track when I strayed off the point. Keeping the conversation relevant and concise is a great skill that good mentors have.

This is where Mentors can dip into Coaching skills and flex that muscle - use "what" and "how" questions, such as "how do you think..."; "what do you think are the ..."; "what does good look like/ success look like; How would you tackle that differently next time, etc.

Creating an atmosphere with the assurance that our meeting time and place is "safe," and that the focus in on growth and not criticism, is a positive initial step. "How" and "what" are my favorite words to promote conversation. Inviting your mentee to envision a process or an outcome is a creative tool to help them discover areas of strength and areas requiring development.

This is such a great tip, so practice. What are your go-to questions that are not yes or no. Using open-ended has clear impact, and a great follow-up is a simple, "tell me more" or "why do you think that's the case?". This is a great skill beyond the mentor relationship model.

Constructive criticism is possibly one of the most skillful aspects of a leader. Harmful criticism will bring the employee down, motivational criticism will bring them back up again, its important to find that balance.

How exactly do you give constructive feedback? Consider this approach and see if it works for you - SBI. What was the situation- describe it, the behaviour - that was experienced and the impact that it had. The SBI method enables you to tackle both challenging areas that need attention as well as positive occasions. Feedback is not just about developing the person but also a key motivator.

You never know too much, there is always something new to learn regardless of how up the ladder you are, and thats what makes a person different. I am highly inspired by people who get frustrated at not knowing something " even if it is not even their field " curiosity and mind sharpening knowledge and super powers.

To be a better mentor, focus on continuous learning and self-improvement. Stay updated on the latest research and best practices in mentoring through books, articles, and workshops. Practice active listening and empathy to better understand your mentee's needs and challenges. Seek feedback from your mentees and colleagues to identify areas for improvement and adjust your approach accordingly. Finally, foster a supportive and inclusive environment that encourages open communication and mutual respect between you and your mentees.

Lead by Example: Be a role model for your mentees by demonstrating the qualities and behaviors you wish to instill in them. Lead with integrity, professionalism, and empathy. Show them what effective communication, collaboration, and problem-solving look like in action.

I have some simple actions to share here that I practise as a Mentor : - Accept that Mentor gets better by being open to learn from every mentoring session - Invest in the success & growth of your mentee by helping them stand on their own - Recognise that you are a Mentor because of the Mentee and not the other way around - Ask , Seek & Enquire before you choose to tell - Share your own experience & commitment to your own growth to demonstrate that you are no different - Be human and recognise your true value is when you are relatable not a self help book I encourage you to be authentic and be YOU as a mentor and when you show up with honesty your mentee will talk, share & shall take away so much more from YOU. I promise you this ??

An example I have seen offering hands on learning and thrives on clear instructions. By providing specific tasks to follow when tackling new tasks like also offering role playing exercises or case studies which help solidify their understanding. Different stages be like before the task breakdown the task, by utilising Visual aids and setting up expectation goals.During the task providing hands-on Demonstration, Practice Session, ask for clarifying questions.After the task try debrief and feedback ,case studies and role playing , postive reinforcement by acknowledge and celebrate even it small the mentee by using this method and technique you can create supportive environment for our mentee allowing them to gain the skills and confidence.

Si quieres mejorar tus habilidades como Mentor haz UNA sola cosa... Pon a prueba tus límites. Ese lugar donde se encuentra la incertidumbre y el miedo. Porque ahí es donde creces. Listo.

One of the best ways to become a better mentor is to have a strong mentor. If you don't have one or haven't had one, you can't really become one. Go out a find a mentor today!