Mentors should have
the skills to;
·
Set
high performance expectations
·
Offer
challenging ideas
·
Help
build self confidence
·
Encourage
professional behaviour
·
Offer
friendship
·
Confront
negative behaviours and attitudes
·
Listen
to personal problems
·
Share
examples, information and resources
·
Provide
growth experiences
·
Explain
how the organization works
·
Help
far beyond their duties or obligations
·
Stand
by their protégés in critical situations
·
Offer
wise counsel
·
Provide
tailored, accurate and regular feedback
·
Encourage
winning behaviour – role model behaviour
·
Trigger
self awareness & encourage reflection (for protégé and themselves)
·
Be
sensitive to the day to day needs
·
Inspire
to excellence
·
Share
critical knowledge
·
Offer
encouragement
·
Stimulate
creative thinking
·
Assist
with careers
·
Recognize
and reward positive change in behavior
·
Help
to deal with grey areas
·
Self
disclosure/share own experiences and career decisions made
Key
roles & responsibilities of Protégé/Mentee
·
Meet
with mentor when agreed to
·
Define
and agree expectations for the relationship
·
Agree
how best to manage the mentoring contract (mentee in control)
·
Commit
to completing agreed development tasks i.e. creating a PDP
·
Access
other sources of advice and information as appropriate
·
Share
information about their strengths, development needs, ambitions etc openly with
their mentor
·
Take
responsibility for drawing up their own personal development plans
·
Take
responsibility for appropriate contact with line managers about development
issues
·
Initiate
their own development and make the most of learning opportunities
·
Be
open and honest
·
Ensure
confidentiality, as agreed with mentor
·
Keep
line manager informed, as appropriate
In summary, mentors
should have;
·
A
genuine care for the development of people
·
Commitment
to the work and success of the organization
·
Knowledge
of the organization, networks, processes/knowledge of how things happen
·
A
strong respect for self and others and great patience
·
Readiness
to spend time and thought on the mentoring activity
·
A
desire to create and work in a relationship of trust and confidentiality on
both sides