Mentoring is the learning relationship that occurs between an experienced employee (the mentor) and a less seasoned co-worker (the protégé). While mentoring situations certainly exist outside of organizations, we will focus on the workplace.
A mentor’s responsibility is to guide, teach, and encourage. When assuming this critical role, keep the following tips in mind:
- Communicate your sincere desire to help the protégé develop professionally and personally.
- Earn trust in order to encourage open dialogue.
- Support the learning process with feedback that coaches and motivates.
- Schedule regular status meetings.
- Your function is to counsel, not do your pupil’s job.
