LEADERSHIP SKILLS
In order for young professionals to develop into leaders, they need support from experienced professionals like you. However, the role of the mentor needs to be learned. A good mentor needs a number of prerequisites for his or her task – and not every manager can prove it. Find out if you have what it takes to be a mentor.
Can they learn from you? Find a position where you can inspire young talents.
LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
It is not easy for many to pass on painstakingly acquired knowledge to others. Doesn’t that make you replaceable? It is therefore important for companies to promote a culture of cooperation. Sharing knowledge with your employees is actually the only way to expand it. If we pass on our wealth of experience to others, they will most likely also share their knowledge with us. In order to participate as a mentor in management development, the transfer of business knowledge and personal experience is particularly important.
The mentoring function is not necessarily the responsibility of the department head or the line manager. If the mentor also exercises a disciplinary function, the young manager is more inhibited. This constellation is not always conducive to a trusting and open relationship. For this reason, it may make sense to use external mentors or experienced senior managers from other areas of the company. Many companies have therefore introduced mentoring programs that bring an experienced senior manager together with his young “mentee”. With the help of these programs, companies can specifically promote their young people and prepare employees for their future leadership roles.
REQUIREMENTS TO BE A GOOD MENTOR
You are concerned with the question of whether your leadership skills let you recommend yourself as a mentor in your company? As a mentor, you should bring these 7 and other qualities:
- Embody both roles, that of the mentor and that of the mentee: As a good mentor, you should be able to understand both perspectives. Even mentors have not stopped learning, every day at work brings new experiences.
- Plan enough time for your task: As a mentor, you should be available for your protégé for a period of several months.
- Willingness to conflict and patience are part of your virtues: You will face challenges when you mentor young managers in the business. Your mentee will not always agree with you or follow your instructions as expected.
- Listen: As a mentor, you give advice and encourage young managers. To be able to perform this function well, you first need to know its situation.
- Be an expert in your field: In order to be able to answer questions confidently, you should know your company very well. This includes extensive knowledge of the corporate philosophy, the corporate goals, and the tasks of the individual departments. You should also have leadership experience and a solid network of contacts within the company.
- Be open-minded and show empathy: As a mentor, you should understand your mentee exactly, know his needs, and be able to adapt to the person. This is only possible through deep empathy.
- Be patient: Mentoring can be a long process in which there are a number of hurdles to overcome. Protégés do not always respond to constructive criticism with the desired behavior, patience pays off here.
Recommended Readings: Simon Sinek: Leadership Rules For Entrepreneurs
BOTTOM LINE
If you invest in your protégé, the executive mentoring will pay off more for you too. The mentoring program gives you the opportunity to reflect on your own leadership style and gain consulting experience – this not only brings you further professionally but also personally.
