Mentoring Best Practices

• Think of yourself as a “learning facilitator” rather than the person with all the answers. Help your mentee find people and other resources that go beyond your experience and wisdom on a topic.

• Emphasize questions over advice giving. Use probes that help your mentee think more broadly and deeply. If he or she talks only about facts, ask about feelings. If he or she focuses on feelings, ask him or her to review the facts. If he or she seems stuck in an immediate crisis, help him or her see the big picture.

• When requested, share your own experiences, lessons learned, and advice. Emphasize how your experiences could be different from his or her experiences and are merely examples. Limit your urge to solve the problem for him or her.

• Resist the temptation to control the relationship and steer its outcomes; your protégé is responsible for his or her own growth.

• Help your mentee see alternative interpretations and approaches.

• Build your mentee confidence through supportive feedback.

• Encourage, inspire, and challenge your protégé to achieve his or her goals.

• Help your mentee reflect on successful strategies he or she has used in the past that could apply to new challenges.

• Be spontaneous now and then. Beyond your planned conversations, call or e-mail “out of the blue” just to leave an encouraging word or piece of new information.

• Reflect on your mentoring practice. Request feedback.

• Enjoy the privilege of mentoring. Know that your efforts will likely have a significant impact on your protégé’s development as well as your own.

Key Mentoring Skills

Practical Examples:

• Show interest in what he or she is saying, and reflect back important aspects of what he or she has said to show that you’ve understood;

• Use body language (such as making eye contact) that shows you are paying attention to what he or she is saying; and

• If you are talking to him or her by phone, reduce background noise and limit interruptions. Your protégé will feel that he or she has your undivided attention. When utilizing e-mail, answer within 24 hours if possible, and be sure your message is responsive to his or her original message.

• Reserve discussing your own experiences or giving advice until after your protégé has had a chance to thoroughly explain his or her issue, question, or concern.

Try some of these encouragements:

• Comment favorably on his or her accomplishments;

• Communicate your belief in his or her capacity to grow personally and professionally and reach his or her goals; and

• Respond to his or her frustrations and challenges with words of support, understanding, encouragement and praise. (Just knowing that someone else has been there can be tremendously helpful.)

• You can also inspire your protégé to excel. Examples include the following:

• Share your personal vision or those of other leaders;

• Describe experiences, mistakes, and successes you or others have encountered on the road to achieving your goals;

• Talk with him or her about people and events that have inspired and motivated you; and

• Introduce him or her to your colleagues who can be additional useful contacts or inspiring models.

More ways to help:

• Assisting him or her with finding resources such as people, books, articles, tools and web-based information;

• Imparting knowledge and skills by explaining, giving useful examples, demonstrating processes, and asking thought-provoking questions;

• Helping him or her gain broader perspectives of his or her responsibilities and organization; Discussing actions you’ve taken in your career and explaining your rationale.