What is the best way to identify and develop your mentoring style?

1 What are mentoring styles?

Mentoring styles are the ways that mentors approach their roles, communicate with their mentees, and provide feedback and guidance. There are different models and frameworks to describe mentoring styles, but one common way is to use four categories: directive, facilitative, consultative, and collaborative. These categories reflect how much control and involvement the mentor has in the mentoring process, and how much autonomy and input the mentee has.

2 How to identify your mentoring style?

Reflecting on your strengths, preferences, and goals as a mentor can help you identify your own mentoring style. You can also ask for feedback from mentees, peers, and supervisors, or use self-assessment tools and surveys. Consider how you communicate with your mentees; do you give clear instructions or ask open-ended questions? Think about how you provide feedback and support; do you focus on correcting mistakes or encouraging strengths? Additionally, consider how you involve your mentees in the mentoring process and how you adapt to different situations and mentees. Ultimately, these questions will help you discover your own unique style of mentoring.

3 How to develop your mentoring style?

Once you have identified your dominant mentoring style, you can work on developing it further and expanding your repertoire of skills and techniques. To do this, consider learning from other mentors, seeking feedback and coaching, experimenting with different styles, and keeping a mentoring journal. Observing, shadowing, or co-mentoring with other mentors can help you understand different approaches and methods. Asking for constructive feedback from your mentees, peers, supervisors, or professional mentors can help you identify areas of weakness and enhance areas of strength. Experimenting with different styles in different situations can help you evaluate the outcomes and impacts of your actions. Additionally, asking your mentees for their preferences and opinions on your style can help you adjust accordingly. Keeping a record of your mentoring experiences, challenges, successes, and learnings can help you reflect on your style and progress. It can also help you set goals and action plans for your mentoring development. Ultimately, by identifying and developing your own mentoring style, you can enhance your effectiveness and satisfaction as a mentor while fostering positive and productive mentoring relationships.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?