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It is worth thinking about the personal qualities and professional skills which make effective mentors:
Personal qualities
good interpersonal and communication skills
approachable
empathy
good listening skills
a genuine desire to help others
an open mind and flexible attitude
supportive without being controlling
can give guidance to a mentee without making their decisions
will always give honest answers
doesn‘t apportion blame but looks to find solutions
actively questions the mentee
ability to probe and challenge
willingness to debate and discuss
has realistic expectations of themselves and others
good organizational skills.
Professional skills
excellent teacher practitioner
knowledge and experience of the mentee‘s new area of work
knows organisational routines, procedures and policies
enthusiastic about teaching
can offer a range of perspectives and teaching and learning techniques
can make suggestions informed by their own expertise and experience
can empower the mentee with the knowledge gained from their experience
can help the mentee to identify practice which meets professional requirements.
Characteristics of a Successful Formal Mentor
The assigned mentor has these characteristics.
Wants to mentor another employee and is committed to the employee’s growth and development and cultural integration.
Has the job content knowledge necessary to effectively teach a new employee significant job knowledge.
Familiar with the organization’s norms and culture. Can articulate and teach the culture.
Demonstrates honesty, integrity, and both respect for and responsibility for stewardship.
Demonstrates effective communication skills both verbally and nonverbally.
Willing to help develop another employee through guidance, feedback, and occasionally, an insistence on a particular level of performance or appropriate direction.
Initiates new ideas
and fosters the employee’s willingness and ability to make changes in his or her performance based on the constant change occurring in their work environment. Has enough emotional intelligence to be aware of their personal emotions and is sensitive to the emotions and feelings of the employee they are mentoring.
Is an individual who would be rated as “highly successful” in both their job and in navigating the organization’s culture by co-workers and managers.
Demonstrates success in establishing and maintaining professional networks and relationships, both online and offline.
Willing to communicate failures as well as successes to the mentored employee.
Able to spend an appropriate amount of time with the mentored employee.
Open to spending time with diverse individuals who may not share a common background, values, or goals.
Able to initiate conflict to ensure the employee’s successful integration into the organization. Willing to acknowledge, as a mentor, that an employee may not succeed in your organization.
Able to say when the relationship is not working and back away appropriately without regard to ego issues or the need to assign blame or gossip about the situation.
If you select employees to mentor who have these characteristics, you will ensure the success of your formal mentor relationships. This, in turn, ensures the successful integration of the new employee within your work unit.
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