REMEMBER!
To be a good mentor, you must be more than just a successful professional. You have to have the desire to help others to develop and succeed without necessarily getting official recognition yourself. Besides having this positive attitude to mentoring, what other qualities are needed to become a good mentor?
• Mentoring takes time and energy. You must be able to commit fully to the mentoring relationship and have the time to do it.
• You need to develop a mentoring skill set. This includes active listening, giving feedback and the ability to provide insights and case studies.
• The best mentors are knowledgeable and experienced in the professional or personal area the mentee wishes to develop. You have to be willing to share this know-how and experience - both your successes and especially your failures. Understanding how mistakes were made is a very effective way to learn.
• Mentoring is a two-way process. A good teacher is open-minded and curious. So, be prepared to learn from your mentee and from the whole experience of mentoring someone.
• As a mentor, you are not required to have all the answers. In fact, your mentee often needs to find the solution by himself or herself. Be honest about what you can and can't do to support them.