A lot of people out there strongly feel the need to become mentors but do not know where to start. Being a mentor can be very rewarding and can actually make you grow as an individual.
Most organizations nowadays prefer having mentors. This is because most of the time, training budgets are tight. Because of that, mentoring can be a great route to take because it is cost-effective, while at the same time ensuring that junior members of staff actually get someone to teach them something. That way, the junior staff can actually feel valued within an organization.
If you are considering becoming a mentor, the are things that you need to be aware of. Below, we focus on how to be the best personal practice mentor in order to help you with the process.
Establish what to looking for
In anything that you do, you must have clear goals. That is the only way that you can move forward, knowing the step to take along the way.
Some people decide to become personal practice mentors so that they can pass on their knowledge to someone else, while some do it so that they can create a difference in the community. Whatever reason you decide to become a mentor, make sure that you have clear goals in the beginning.
Find a mentee
As you go through the process of becoming a mentor, it’s important that you find somebody that you can be a mentor to through your network or your organization.
Doing that allows you to create great mentoring relationships with your mentees. You will also realize that as you go through the process, some people might even approach you so that they can learn something from you, which makes you grow personally.
Whatever you do, make sure that you find people around you that you can mentor and pass on the expertise to.
Set expectations
We know that most people out there do not like setting expectations because they want to avoid disappointment in the event that what they were expecting doesn’t happen. However, when it comes to learning to become a great personal practice mentor, you have to set some expectations.
What that means is that you must establish some guidelines for the relationship with your mentee as early as possible.
Obviously, your mentee might have some concerns or issues that they need to talk about in confidentiality. Please make sure that you talk those concerns through early on.
Avoid common pitfalls
It’s quite common for relationships between mentees and mentors to go through certain things as their relationship develops. Therefore, it’s important that you are aware of those things. Make sure that early on, as you are establishing your relationship, you ask some really constructive, yet challenging, questions. This is because, at the end of the day, your ultimate goal is to ensure that you empower your mentee.
You will need to understand that as a mentor, you are there to guide your mentee, and not to enforce anything on them. If you are dealing with a mentee who is not fully committed, the process may become tricky.
In such a case, you must make sure that you reiterate the support that you can offer to them, while at the same time making sure that you reaffirm your boundaries for your relationship.
At the end of the day, you should enjoy mentoring, and your time is valuable. Therefore, make sure that you and your mentee make the most of the time that you have.
Use your mentoring experience to progress your career
If you’re a mentor, we are sure that you know how personally rewarding it can be to offer your expertise to people who need it. However, that shouldn’t be the only thing that you should focus on.
Instead, you need to take advantage of all the great opportunities that come along with being a mentor. These include career progression, as well as professional development.
We cannot run away from the fact that when employers are looking for new staff, they always look for someone who is able to demonstrate activities outside of their job description. Therefore, use your mentoring skills as an opportunity to show your recruiters how dedicated you are, as well as how willing you are to go the extra mile in order to help others around you.
We know how fulfilling it can be for you to transform someone else. However, make sure that you do not stop there. You actually need to continually reflect on best practices, making sure that you do everything you can to raise your game.
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