HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MENTOR?

Mentors are in demand; it seems these days everyone wants one, but nowhere near enough people believe they have the skills to be one.?

Women in Food & Agriculture has been connecting women in our industry with mentors for 2 years, and with each new cohort we meet a huge number of first-time mentors, all of whom begin the journey with just as many nerves as their mentees!?

To help them begin their new partnerships, we gathered the mentors from our current cohort together to ask them what skills they thought are the best characteristics of a successful mentor, and how they would approach their working relationship with their new mentee.??

Mentors were split into small working groups to discuss their best ideas, share experiences, and feed back to the whole group, creating a list of essential skills for anyone mentoring, coaching or managing other people:?

?ACTIVE LISTENING?

Effective mentoring involves active listening by allowing your mentee to speak more, asking probing questions to uncover unspoken issues, and paying attention to their body language.?

?BUILD TRUST?

To build trust with someone you've never met, start by getting to know them by asking questions about their background, current situation, and aspirations while also sharing your own, demonstrating genuine curiosity and enjoyment in the process of building a connection.?

?DON’T JUDGE?

In the initial phase, avoid judgment, remain mindful of potential cultural disparities, and be conscious of personal biases, using inclusive language and refraining from hasty judgments about the mentee.?

?UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROLE?

Your role as a mentor is that of a "navigator" who offers guidance based on your experience and intuition, while being aware of potential limitations in the mentee's situation, and it's important to let the mentee set objectives and define their goals, which provides structure for your mentorship and accountability in your meetings.?

??EMBRACE “REVERSE MENTORING”?

You should make sure you get something out of this relationship too! Understanding the challenges young people are facing as they embark on their careers can be of huge benefit to you in your day job; you may find yourself learning something new about the world! Don’t be afraid to swap roles in the conversation – ask them how they would deal with a problem you are facing, and don’t be afraid to take some critique.?

?KEEP MOMENTUM?

Every new partnership starts with a big bang, but it’s important to keep the momentum going. Set regular meetings and stick to it; by getting the mentee to set objectives, you automatically have a conversation started in each follow up meeting. You could even consider setting them mini challenges in between meetings. There may be difficult sessions but it’s up to you to keep the energy up and occasionally reset things – go back to their initial hopes and dreams; ask more questions and try to understand their problems. You are not their therapist, but you are a friendly ear and someone to lean on.?

So now we have an outline of what makes a good mentor, what does that look like in practice? We ask our mentors what specific questions they would ask their mentees to set things off on the right track:?

• What’s their background??
• What is their educational experience??
• Why did you join the program??
• What are your expectations for this??
• How do they like to communicate??

• How do they like to receive information – are they a reader, a watcher, a listener??
• What are their core beliefs and values? What values do they share??
• What are their strengths and weaknesses??
• Do they feel they have any limitations – personal or professional – that are holding them back??

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We’ll be running regular sessions with the mentors and mentees of the Summer 2023 cohort, so do follow us on Linkedin to keep up-to-date with the latest news and insights from our incredible double-acts!?

https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/women-in-food-and-agriculture ?

If you're interested in participating in the next Women in Food & Agriculture Mentor Program, in association with Alltech, please visit: www.wfa-initiative.com ?

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