What are the common challenges or pitfalls of mentoring employees and how do you overcome them?

Every employee should be treated as a "leader" in their job. They must be committed to ensuring that their job function continues to improve in terms of innovation and delivery to the customer. One of the tools we have used over the years is called Management by Communication. On a monthly basis the team meets and each member presents, in slide format, their challenges experienced over the last month and the solutions they will implement to overcome the challenges. Next they speak about their strengths and the strengths of their team members. Lastly they clearly articulate their accomplishments and celebrate by giving recognize to the teams for a job well done.

Trust and rapport are critical in coaching and mentoring as they create a safe and supportive environment where the coachee or mentee can open up, share their challenges, and receive constructive feedback. Coaches and mentors can build trust and rapport by showing genuine interest, empathy, and respect for their coachees or mentees, listening actively and attentively, asking open-ended and probing questions, and avoiding judgment and criticism. Both coaching and mentoring can be valuable tools for personal and professional development, and each has its own unique characteristics.

Indeed it is clearly written in our Code of Honour or Values and Ethics that all team members treat each other with respect. One of our global leaders recently broke that trust factor with an unethical action. In situations like this, the broken trust leads to bad feelings which leads to poor rapport. If we sweep this behaviour under the rug, the entire team will automatically think that it is "okay" to be unethical. And with that, a downward spiral begins. The correct way to handle this is to speak directly with the perpetrator to ensure that they understand that such behaviour is unacceptable. There must be no judgment or blame - just a simple conversation to share what the expectations are around behaviour.

Resources as a challenge "Embracing the rewarding path of mentoring, one cannot overlook the significance of resources as a potential hurdle. Whether it's the allocation of time, availability of guidance, or access to essential tools, addressing resource constraints becomes integral in nurturing impactful and successful mentorship experiences."

Providing constructive feedback is an integral part of mentoring employees as it can help them identify areas for development and improve their performance. One way to ensure that feedback is effective is to provide it in a timely, specific, and actionable manner while balancing both positive and negative feedback. Instead of criticizing the person, it is important to focus on the behavior and its impact. Additionally, asking for permission and feedback preferences can make the feedback process more comfortable for the receiver, and using models like SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) or COIN (Context, Observation, Impact, Next Steps) can provide a structure to the feedback session.

One of the most effective methods for constructive feedback is a proper Performance Feedback provided 1-2x per year. While we often provide feedback on someone's left brain intellectual abilities, we must remember to give them feedback on their right brain activities such as people skills, values, feelings and so on. The employee must receive coaching to help them identify the roadblocks in the Subconscious Mind to the achievement of their new goals. It is vital to dig these out because usually the employee doesn't even know they have them. Lastly, the Leader Coach can help the employee turn their negative beliefs/actions into positive ones using tools for permanent positive change.

To effectively evaluate the impact and value of mentoring, mentors and mentees should use a combination of different performance measurement and evaluation activities to assess and understand their progress as the mentoring relationship develops and matures. Regular meetings between mentor and mentee should be scheduled to review goals, progress, challenges, and future plans. Feedback and testimonials should be shared with the mentee and other stakeholders, and recognition and appreciation should be given for the mentee's growth and contributions. Lastly, the mentor should reflect on their own learning and development.