28 Mar | Mentoring
Training activities are becoming increasingly important for the organizational strategies of the corporate world. The need to build a culture within the company that makes it unique and coherently respectful toward shared values, behaviours and objectives, is very often taken for granted. Thanks to effective mentoring, a mentor can transmit all his/her knowledge and experience to his/her “pupil” (or mentee), encouraging their insertion, and their professional and personal growth.
# PLAN THE ACTIVITIES BASED ON THE TYPE OF MENTEE
Mentoring is an engaging experience for both the mentor and the mentee, but it requires a big commitment by part of both in order become productive: first of all, you need to understand if mentoring is right for you and if you are really willing to take on this type of path. The next step is to understand the type of individual you will be working with and, since not all minds are the same and not all newcomers have the same skills, you will need to carefully plan the activities you would like to work on, taking into account the character of each person, their individual qualities and the level of awareness and involvement they have already achieved. It is a medium to long-term project and any mistakes made before even beginning the process could unnecessarily complicate things and lead to rough start.
# FOCUS ON THE QUALITIES AND THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE MENTEE
Each person is different and differently inclined towards new things: the biggest mistake is to approach every individual mentee in the same way, maybe by filling their head with unnecessary notions when they are already quite competent and all they really need is motivation and self-confidence, or by setting up an advanced training for a willing “pupil” who does not possess the necessary basic skills. Once you understand the qualities and shortcomings of your mentee, you will be able to choose with greater accuracy the type of path that is most suitable for their growth.
# BUILD A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON TRUST
You need to create a stable and profitable relationship with your mentee, because you will probably have to spend a great deal of time in close contact. During this phase it is, therefore, essential that you share your experiences, your curriculum, your goals, explaining the difficulties you had to face and how you managed to overcome them. By giving the mentee the impression that you are an important figure for his/her future will make you gain respect, authoritativeness and establish a strong bond of trust.
# ENCOURAGE PROGRESSES AND OFFER YOUR SUPPORT WHEN DIFFICULTIES ARISE
Choose activities you can do alongside your mentee, plan the work to be done and show him/her how to organize it in the best way, explain in depth the most effective techniques that you yourself have used over time and pass on the knowledge you have acquired in the field of work and outside of work. The goal is to make them more and more autonomous in their work by continuing to offer them a point of reference for any eventuality. Patience and empathy are greatly needed while mentoring.
# OFFER YOUR MENTEE OPPORTUNITIES, FEEDBACK AND ADVICE
When the path is well underway and you start seeing some good results, it is time to push on the accelerator and definitively direct the mentee towards complete autonomy. Contribute with positive feedback when their work is really satisfactory and of a high quality, offer to follow them in increasingly complex jobs, entrusting them with more and more difficult tasks that are stimulating and are training opportunities for their professional development.