Mentoring is a great opportunity for a person to talk to someone other than their direct manager about their direction, progress, aspirations, barriers to development and what can be done to move forward.
The mentoring pair typically works to achieve the mentee’s career goals through a series of topic-focused conversations. Mentoring can be traditional or informal, and in some cases even a conversation is enough. There is reciprocal mentoring, when colleagues at the same level support each other, or reverse mentoring, when junior colleagues support senior ones in certain topics. Regardless of the type of mentoring, there are tips applicable to all types of similar relationships that give a greater chance of success.
The good mentor
A good mentor is good at building rapport, structuring the conversation, and providing feedback that aims to both challenge the mentee and help him/her explore issues. A mentor should offer new perspectives on the topics shared with them, as well as offer knowledge and experience to share.
Before the mentee relationship begins, the mentor must be willing to commit the necessary time and energy and have an interest in the other’s success. Everything shared in these conversations must remain confidential.
The role of mentees
In order to evaluate mentoring as good, the role of the mentee is also important. They must take initiative and responsibility and be willing to be open and honest and trust their mentor. It is important that the expectations are realistic, so it is recommended to define goals that are shared and agreed between the two participants at the beginning.
When determining the topics that will become part of the mentoring discussions, some of the most common are related to career planning, tips for expanding your network, and navigating work relationships.
The diversity factor
Every mentoring pair is different as each person comes with their own unique characteristics. Differences in age, gender, race, ability, and individuality are the reason for providing different perspectives and, accordingly, new approaches to solving given problems that the mentee faces.
In traditional mentoring, often the mentor and mentee work in different departments or areas of activity within the company. This stimulates creativity, makes it possible to see different perspectives, and at the same time, solutions or conclusions can be applied.
