Mentoring – 5 Rules to make the most out of it

If you’re going to get into mentoring, how can you make the most of it? How can you ensure that your talent gets what they need out of the system, and develops to the point you need?

1. Opposites Attract

Pairing up talent with mentor is not like a dating system. If your employee is shy, try to pair them up with someone who is outgoing. If your employee is detailed, try to hook them up with someone who is big picture.

2. Save the Time

One of the reasons mentoring schemes tend to fail is that the mentor lacks the time, and often ends up cancelling meetings because of something more urgent.

3. It’s All in the Preparation

…for the mentee, at least. Those within your scheme who have been appointed a mentor have to know how to get the most out of the relationship.

4. It’s Not Teaching, it’s Learning

A mentor is not a teacher — as Ian Williams points out, a mentor is there to help the mentee learn.

5. Make it Aspirational

Underpinning the whole scheme is how you promote it, and how you maintain it. Make it aspirational – give it a name, if you want – and make it interesting. Create events around it, let mentors meet up, let mentees meet up and share their experiences, and constantly seek to improve it.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Make The Most Of Employee Mentoring – TalentCulture.