How To Be A Good Mentor

A mentor provides a positive, nurturing environment that benefits the other person. You can provide this environment by:

• Offering opportunities for skill development. Provide special projects and assignments that will build new skills. Or refer the person to books or articles about that skill.
• Helping the person recognize areas needing work. Often a gap exists between the person's existing skills and the skills needed to complete a project or to advance in a career. Draw attention to that gap, then let the person discover what he or she can do to close that gap.
• Providing helpful advice. Offer ideas or information, when asked, that will enable the person to find a solution: "It might be useful to look at the data from last year."
• Being a role model. We all listen to people we respect and admire. Know that people will watch you to see how you handle difficult or challenging situations.
• Encouraging people to think for themselves. Don't solve your protege's problems for him. Instead, encourage him to find possible solutions himself. "You have several options. Which one do you think is best?"