Mentoring involves counselling a mentee towards the right direction. It is knowledge sharing wherein the mentee benefits from the mentor’s experience. However, being a good mentor does not happen overnight. It requires skills and qualities wherein there is a genuine interest in seeing your mentee succeed. If you want to be a mentor, here are the top 5 qualities you should have.

Goal-oriented

As a mentor, you should be able to identify your mentee’s strengths and weaknesses. It is an opportunity for you to highlight their core competencies. Together both of you will set out goals you would like to achieve in the mentor-mentee relationship. Having goals will give an overarching framework to the relationship and provide direction. It is the mentor’s responsibility to lead the mentee including making the necessary follow ups. It should not simply be a meeting wherein there is an actual action framework that both of you are working on. This implies that the mentor should have an end vision in mind wherein the resulting outcome is the mentee’s success. 

A Good Communicator

A mentor has to be an active communicator, which means he or she should be able to listen to what the mentee is saying and implying. In this way, the mentor understands the mentee’s needs and can provide solutions to the problem. As a mentor is a leader, good communication skills are important especially being able to speak in a way that the mentee understands. The verbal exchange of a mentor and mentee shows the depth of the relationship making it a benchmark for quality. In the end, it is necessary to have this quality as mentees need guidance and support. They look to their mentor for professional advice and direction.

Professional Expertise

A mentor cannot perform their function if they don’t have the related experience. They must have a proven track record of success which is why they are engaging in a mentor-mentee relationship. Significantly, their work experience has a lot to do with the characteristics needed to be a good mentor. A mentor has gone through the same experiences of the mentee wherein they can be good sound boards for advice. Furthermore, the higher the work experience they have the better will they be able to help the mentee. For example, the mentor can introduce the mentee to his network. This shows trust and commitment to the relationship wherein the underlying goal is for the mentee to do well and flourish.

Transparency

A good mentor does not simply list down their accomplishments. They should also be able to communicate their mistakes and problems. Sharing their knowledge involves being able to discuss negative circumstances wherein the mentee can learn and grow. The mentor can illustrate how they were able to overcome the problem and how it has molded them to become who they are today. In this way, mentors are not perfect. They are learners too wherein as they share their poor decisions they give added insight to mentees.

Positive Thinker

A good mentor should have an optimistic trait in order to effectively lead the mentee. They should have a personal interest in the relationship as they exhibit enthusiasm for the profession. It is important to note that a mentor functions as role model. As such, their passion for the work is part of characteristics they pass onto the mentee. In this way, they can give advice on productive habits that would help them be better at their jobs.

Moreover, they are not just training the mentee on how to do their job correctly but accomplish their task in a way that makes them stand out.