Everyone needs a mentor in their career, if not several. Just as you want friends who can support you through the twists and turns of life, likewise you want mentors who can provide support for your career. You may be required to know the characteristics of a good mentor to expect while making your choice.
Mentors can be valuable at almost any stage you find yourself in, whether its job hunting, adapting to a role, moving up, or finding a new and intimidating path.
But what exactly is great mentoring? We’ll equip you with the knowledge of what are the characteristics of a good mentor.
Who is a Mentor?
A mentor is someone who provides you with the tools, guidance, support, and feedback you need for your career. You are often someone who has gone down the path you are currently on and is “there to advise you on what you did and what worked for you”.
Almost anyone can act as your career mentor – a friend, friend of a friend, family member, an alumnus of your school, coworker or peer, current or former boss, someone you met through a networking event.
A mentor is not someone you admire from afar. You should be able to play a consistent role in your life over a period of time.
Why are Mentors important?
Mentors are an important part of personal and professional development. They are guides through times when people need someone to point them in the right direction.
Good mentors are enthusiastic people who enjoy helping others achieve their goals.
There are many characteristics of a good mentor. When considering a mentor, look for someone who is enthusiastic, makes a good fit with us, respects others, and has a respected expert in their field.
This will help you achieve the results you want and hopefully build a beneficial relationship for you and your chosen mentor.
What are the characteristics of a good Mentor?
There are many characteristics of a good mentor. When considering a mentor, look for someone who is enthusiastic, fits well, respects others, and has a respected expert in their field.
This will help you achieve the results you want and hopefully build a beneficial relationship for you and your chosen mentor.
1. A good listener
A mentor needs to be patient and listen to the employee’s concerns and questions about their job responsibilities. That means paying attention to the employee’s concerns and understanding the depth of the topic.
Resolutions and resolutions are usually more effective when the mentor understands the employee’s concerns as a whole.
The full understanding of the employee’s problems enables the mentor to share their experiences and show the employee how to successfully cope with the problem at hand.
2. Gives constructive feedback
A new employee who is learning to work in a company needs the guidance of a mentor who can help them avoid mistakes.
Criticism is a necessary part of the learning process, but an experienced mentor can express criticism in a way that the employee knows that the feedback is constructive and not personal.
The aim is to inform the employee that they are undergoing an assessment to help them change their methodology.
A constructive and talkative tone helps the employee understand that the criticism is aimed at identifying areas that need improvement, rather than pointing out mistakes.
3. Have a personal interest in the person being cared for
The role of a mentor is to take a personal interest in the employee he is teaching. That means going beyond the daily interactions in the office and learning more about who the employee is as a person.
Knowing more about the employee helps the mentor understand how the employee thinks and acts, what their passions, career goals, and others are.
Learning this information will help the mentor offer effective lessons and be a more effective teacher as they better understand the person they are mentoring.
4. They are enthusiastic about their role
A mentor wants to help others succeed and knows the importance of telling someone everything they know. A mentor should feel secure in his position so that he can be sure that the knowledge he is imparting will help the new employee to succeed.
Showing a positive attitude can also inspire others to work harder and help others, just as the mentor helped them.
5. They treat people with respect
A mentor who treats people with respect is interested in building effective working relationships. The role is to be constructive in expressing criticism, listening to the employee as they speak about their feelings and experiences with the organization, and educating the employee.
The appreciation of the employee as a person in need is an essential characteristic of a mentor.
6. Must be an experienced teacher
A mentor shows an employee how the organization works and how to work cooperatively with a team. The mentor also helps the employee do their job according to the company’s rules and guidelines.
7. They show responsibility for the employee they look after
The mentor takes responsibility for training, continuing education, and advising an employee.
If the employee messes up a process, the mentor has to share responsibility for teaching the employee how to carry out a particular process.
The mentor can nonetheless be held accountable as their job is to train and train an employee in all aspects of their professional duties.
8. They are non-judgmental
It is important that a mentor use a non-judgmental tone when sharing criticism or feedback with an employee.
Avoiding judgment helps the employee understand that he doesn’t need to feel insecure and can trust the mentor to show him what to do to correct mistakes and move forward in his position.
9. They must have expertise in your field
For a mentor to be effective in their role, they must have expertise in their field. A mentor imparts their knowledge and understanding of a job to someone who begins the learning process about their new position.
When a mentor is well versed in their field, their mentee can be more successful.
10. Mentors encourage you to get out of your comfort zone
All people have a zone in which they act and live. In this zone, they feel comfortable and can distinguish themselves. This is known as the comfort zone.
To grow, you need to step out of your comfort zone to gain new experiences and learn. A good mentor will be able to identify your comfort zone and develop steps and activities within your goals that will force you to feel comfortable outside of your zone.
11. Mentor must take pride in their work
Since mentors are responsible for leading the new generation of employees to success, they should be proud of their work.
Seeing how their actions and contributions have had a positive impact on others is a reasonable reason for mentors to be comfortable about their guidance.
Proud mentors can also invest more thoroughly, as they place higher demands on their own behavior.
12. Your mentor should suit you
When looking for a mentor, you may have many people to choose from. This can be similar to shopping for a shirt. When you find a style you like, the matching style might be in the middle of the pile or the last one you will look at.
Lots of people will try to manipulate you in your life and career, try to become an influencer and develop you the way it worked for them, or consider them the best.
A good mentor will develop a strategy that suits your needs, talents, skills, and desires, pushing you towards a better you – not a clone of yourself.
Conclusion
Choosing a mentor doesn’t have to be as stressful or complicated as it seems. Find one that suits you and work to make it a worthwhile experience. Not only will you find the best version of yourself, but you’ll gain a lifelong friend and supporter as well.
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