1. The right mentors
Mentors must be experts in particular fields but also have enough time to devote to their mentees. They should also be able to support and motivate others without judging them.
A mentor's job is to ask questions, listen and set new challenges for others to change their thinking and behaviour in order to achieve professional and personal growth.
2. Benefit to both mentees and mentors
Feeling good about helping others grow is certainly not the only thing mentors can gain through mentoring. Organisations should do more to emphasise that mentoring is also beneficial for the mentors themselves. They can ask themselves the same questions they ask their mentees and thus improve themselves in their own practices.
3. Voluntary participation
Managers should not be forced to become mentors after reaching a certain level in the company. Leave it for them to make their own voluntary decision. Volunteer mentors usually have the necessary prerequisites and won't make their mentees feel like they are bothering them.
4. Training for both mentors and mentees
Both parties should pass through some initial training that will help them clarify their roles and mutual expectations. They should learn potential mentoring techniques and how their conversations and meetings should look. If necessary, companies should provide mentors with further training, such as in the field of communication skills.
5. Proper assigning of mentors
Not every mentor is suitable for every employee. HR professionals in collaboration with managers should help connect the right people. They can do so by using personality tests or questionnaires focused on the motivation and values of each individual.
It is important for mentees first to meet the proposed mentor to talk about how their cooperation might look. It makes no sense to force anybody to work with a mentor they do not trust or like for whatever reason.
One employee can have multiple mentors.
-kk-