Within any business setting, an appointed mentor must take the time to guide our development to ensure that other team members become successful individuals in the workplace. Whether working with a fresh college graduate or a seasoned employee who gets promoted, it is vital to have the skill and confidence required to advise new personnel throughout organizational and task management duties when beginning a new career.
How Can I Be a Great Mentor?
A mentor sets aside intentional check-ins and supervision over staff members within the workplace for proper training and development. This process is not to be taken lightly. After all, a mentor is more or less your lifeline for success. A mentor must be knowledgeable and mature in work exerted throughout employment. This article may be helpful to employees and professionals who collaborate within the work environment and want to focus on becoming better mentors.
Focus on Communication
Mentors provide leadership and insight into the pathway of development and job expertise. Building a communication foundation will help the mentee feel trusted and guided appropriately. This mentorship piece must be grounded from the beginning so that dialogue remains fluid and consistent. The mentee should feel comfortable asking questions and learning from mistakes. This process must be strategic and intentional with genuine support and instruction.
Communication is key to a successful and productive mentorship; confusion and assumptions are made when someone leaves out this vital piece of the process. The mentor should make a point to communicate with the mentee, ultimately helping them create their confidence in the workplace. Communication has many dynamics, so it is important to keep small achievements in mind. Learning a new job and applying new skills can have a range of challenges.
Remain Confident in Yourself
The mentor should portray confidence as they mold the same positivity and encouragement within the mentee. Allow the mentee to have control and get comfortable in the new position as they explore the many tasks that coincide with day-to-day. The confidence that the mentor and surrounding staff exemplify will predict the amount of belief that a mentee will have in themselves. Confidence should be developed over time and not rushed to perfection. Success should be the goal for every person in the workplace, followed through with intentional collaboration and positivity.
Provide Useful Feedback
Feedback will also help a mentor promote practical work from the mentee as expectations are clear and reviewed frequently. A constructive approach is always best when addressing any critical information or mistake. As a mentor, keeping feedback appropriate and effective can be difficult. Understanding a wide range of personal goals and work ethic can be strenuous for some mentors- based on their willingness to stay vulnerable and entrust their time and energy to a new coworker.
Remaining neutral with mentees during feedback encounters should be the intent of the meeting. As a mentor, there has to be grace given to the mentee, meaning that it is inevitable for someone to be imperfect in their everyday life. Life is a never-ending ride, and mentors should remain a positive influence in the workplace, no matter the subject of discussion. It is normal to feel angst and anxiety, but a mentor can build a more effective relationship with consistent communication and feedback.
Feedback will let the mentee know that their efforts are noticed and appreciated every step of the way. It is helpful to focus on the good things a person is doing rather than only negativity that will only create stress for the mentee. Mistakes should be handled directly and efficiently, leaving no confusion for assumptions to be made. Encourage conversations and feelings or opinions to be shared in real-time. Mentorship likely involves empathetic thinking towards others and resolving issues as they surface.
Ready to Build Your Workforce?
Are you interested in learning more about performance-based staffing or the unique ways that Certified Source can help you improve your workforce? Our team of recruiting specialists would love to hear from you. Our team works hard to ensure that candidates' values align with those of our employer clients to provide the best fit from day one. To get started, find your nearest office or contact us today to find out what is possible.