How to Be a Good Mentor

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By Sarah Wilson CCRP
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Mentoring

A good employer mentors his or her employees. Here are some tips on how to be a good mentor.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Teach by example.

A mentor’s focus should be to help a less experienced person acquire the knowledge and character needed to meet his or her goal. They provide opportunities for growth and new experiences.
Step 2

Counsel the mentee wisely.

Provide the benefit of your knowledge and experience keeping in mind that because of unique personalities every situation is different. However, an explanation of how you handled certain situations can get the mentee thinking about how to solve their own problems.
Step 3

Offer encouragement.

Most people become stagnant out of fear. Fear of failure, fear of success and fear of something different. The mentor will need to encourage the mentee and help them over self-doubt.
Step 4

Encourage professional behavior and confront negative behavior.

Teach the mentee how to dress and act professionally. Teach him or her social graces and proper etiquette. When the mentee performs poorly or act badly, call them on it – in private. But as a mentor, you must let them know when certain actions are unacceptable.
Step 5

Challenge the mentee.

To encourage growth, you must challenge the mentee. Give them opportunities that they would not normally have at their level. Be with them throughout the project to make sure it is going well. At the end, publicly acknowledge their contribution, if appropriate.