The Art Of Mentoring
Written By: Miss Areeba Ansari
Class: -
House: Jinnah
Mentoring is a transformative journey of guidance, support, and growth. It's about nurturing talent, sharing wisdom, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential. Mentors serve as beacons of inspiration, offering valuable insights, encouragement, and constructive feedback along the way. A successful mentor is an active listener or someone who is enthusiastic about helping you achieve your goals, and willing to devote time for developing others to learn. Mentoring is a powerful exchange of experiences and expertise, fostering meaningful connections and paving the way for success. The successful mentoring depends on various characteristics of mentor which are discussed in detail.
1) Good Listener:
To be a successful mentor the first thing is to be a good listener. A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something. The thing to do is just listen what a person is saying, but making a commitment to digesting the information they are presenting and responding constructively. They seem to carry this power around with them wherever they go, they mediate a sense of trust and warmth. A good conversation with the people usually just feel refreshed and understood.
2) Flexible:
Sometimes we just can’t reach a goal. Circumstances may change. What once seemed to be viable may no longer be. Instead of becoming frustrated, we should be flexible. A successful mentor need to be prepared for the unexpected challenges and adjust your plans accordingly. It also helps you to avoid or minimize the negative effects of risks or deadlines. It improves your work / project performance and satisfaction.
3) Knowledgeable:
A successful mentor always be knowledgeable about corporate and department goals and stay informed of changes. To be a champion or to become a champion set high standards for ourselves and then work hard to achieve the goals. Like everyone, we will make mistakes as learning experiences and try to turn them into successes. As it has been said, “If you have never made errors you have never made decisions”.
4) Non – Judgemental:
A successful mentor always try not to be non-judgemental and this thing opens you up to more of life’s beauty. Judging something as neutral means it not worth your attention but when you remove this judgement of neutral, you have the change to see the beauty and wonder present in every aspect of life. Any activity can be a wonderful, enriching experience if you take the time to pay attention to it. It also helps you cultivate a peaceful mind and helps us to see clearly.
5) Problem Solver:
One of the best characteristics or powerful feature of a good mentor is to be a powerful problem solver. Problem solving skill is one of the fundamental human cognitive processes, Basically it is a process which involves systematic observation and critical thinking to find an appropriate way to reach the desired goal. Problem solver is all about using logic, as well as imagination, to make sense of a situation and come up with an intelligent solution.
6) Motivating:
A successful mentor always try not to be afraid for trying new ideas. Keep constantly on the alert for making innovations that will improve the way work is done, assure learner satisfaction and increase the power of profitability thinking. Open your minds to collect new ideas and welcome suggestions. Even after changes and improvements are made, always look for even better ways to accomplish the goals.
7) Honest:
Honesty is very important in a successful mentor because it builds trust. It implies being truthful. Honesty means to develop a practice of speaking truth throughout life. A person who practices honesty in his / her life, possess strong moral character. An honest person shows good behaviour, always follows rules and regulations, maintain discipline, speak the truth and be punctual. If the mentee feels like they can’t trust their mentor they won’t be able to open up and confide in them.
8) A Respectful Attitude:
Giving and receiving respect from others is very important because it helps us to feel safe and to express ourselves. Being a successful mentor it is important to show a respectful attitude to the people which help them to grow, learn and successfully reach at their destination with positive professional growth. Giving a respectful attitude can truly have their mentee’s best interests by heart.
9) Able to give a constructive feedback:
The most important element for being a successful mentor is to give a constructive feedback. When giving feedback a good mentor look at a person’s current work and compare it to their previous performances to see it they are making any progress. A mentor always advise people on any aspect of their work that needs changing so that they can improve their overall performance, basically feedback typically refers to useful advice that you receive from one or more experienced people about their work. It is useful to help other peple with more complete holistic review of their work.
10) Goal Setting Process:
Goal setting is primarily a means of turning your dreams into reality. A good successful mentor always set goals. Having a goal is a way to focus attention on the things that are important. When we have a goal, we tend to increase the amount of time and effort we spend on an activity. Goal setting is a purposeful and explicit process that starts with identifying a new objective, skill or project you want to achieve. Once someone said, “Setting clear goals and finding measures that will mark progress towards them can improve the human condition”.
11) Challenger:
To become a successful mentor try to become a challenger and accept new things and explore new interests by stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that scares you and makes you uncomfortable. When you become a successful challenger you have the ability to boost your self confidence. When you feel confident your ability and potential are ready to take on new challengers in future too.
12) Supporter:
A successful mentor helps you identify realistic goals, share advice or how to plan for success and support along the way. Mentors also help you stay motivated and focused on your goals and provide inspiration and encouragement to keep you going. A good mentor typically take the time to get to know you and the challenges you are facing and then use their understanding and personal experience to help you improve.