When you coach, the relationship is hierarchical, meaning that you are driving the process and the employee must respond.
If you are looking to train in mentoring, consider using Coaching and Mentoring Training Course offered by pdtraining in Wellington and many other cities in New Zealand.
Mentoring is not meant to be set up that way. Corporate Mentoring is a shoulder-to-shoulder type relationship. In coaching your focus is on reaching goal with a targeted development plan.
On the other hand, mentoring is sharing and guiding your mentee. It requires less structure but more relationship building.
Being a good mentor to someone creates a special relationship where the mentor watches over the mentee, guides them, and corrects them in different situations.
There is not a set intervention. It is constant awareness, looking out for pitfalls and political traps that are common in the work environment.
Mentors also become more involved in the mentee’s life, demonstrating caring, understanding, and guiding them through it from the employment perspective. Deep personal issues should be taken care of by professionals; however, guiding them to that professional level is a mentor’s job.
So how can you become a good mentor?
In a training course in mentoring, you’ll learn how to define the current state or reality of an employee’s situation and define options for employees and create actionable steps toward a preliminary plan plus much, much more!
Here are some behaviours that help to foster a good relationship between a mentor and a mentee:
- Demonstrate caring by listening for issues that are not readily disclosed to you. Perhaps you over hear a conversation where your mentee is struggling with something. Demonstrate care by encouraging your mentee to discuss it with you.
- Demonstrate understanding by acknowledging and empathizing with your employees situation. Take the time to fully grasp what is going on and acknowledge it is real and that you would feel the same if you were in their shoes.
- Demonstrate listening by giving your undivided attention and avoid interruptions when talking with them like answering the telephone or looking at email. Notate and mirror things back to your mentee to demonstrate you are listening.
- Demonstrate respect by keeping the relationship professional at all times. Avoid degrading your mentee or using causal language in front of others. Show you respect your employee as if they were an equal.
Keeping an eye on the relationship is just as important as keeping focus on the goal. The mentor-mentee relationship is delicate because the employee must see the value of the relationship. If they do not see a relationship, then the purpose for mentoring is gone.
Implementing what you have learned today immediately is the best way to start changing your behaviour. Remember that mentoring is an equation that includes you. Your employee will respond better if they see you are also willing to change to help them reach a higher level of performance.
Words from the Wise
Here are some quotes from wise leaders in the mentoring field. Take a moment to read and reflect on their words:
- Lee Iacocca: I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you’re trying to accomplish, and what you’re willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.
- John Wooden: If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.
- Pearl Buck: I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to earth.
- Warren Buffett: I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars. I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.
- George Allen: People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.
Pdtraining delivers 1000’s of professional development courses each year in Wellington, Auckland, Napier, Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin and Tauranga, so you can be assured your training will be delivered by a qualified and experienced trainer.
All public Coaching and Mentoring Training courses include am/pm tea, lunch, printed courseware and a certificate of completion. Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.