Most of us think of our careers as a straight line. If we do well in our role, gain experience and hone our skills, we’ll get a promotion and a pay rise – perhaps even a team to manage.
This can be an unhelpful way to think of career progression, since we can only progress if there’s an open vacancy ‘above’ us. Thankfully, mentoring exists to challenge this mindset.
But what is a mentor, and when is it the right time to become one?
In this article, we’ll answer the top questions about mentoring:
- What is mentoring (and how is it different to coaching)?
- What are the benefits of being a mentor?
- What are the different types of mentoring?
- What traits make someone an effective mentor?
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is an ongoing workplace relationship where one person provides advice and guidance to a less experienced colleague, one who is often in a more junior position.
The person providing the guidance is the mentor, and the other person is the mentee. In most cases, the mentor should be someone other than the mentee’s line manager.
In a mentoring relationship, the mentor provides general workplace support and uses their extensive knowledge, experience and contacts to help the mentee build their career.
Mentoring vs coaching: what’s the difference?
A coach helps you meet a specific goal or solve a specific problem. Using a technique such as the GROW model, a coach asks questions that encourage you to think clearly about:
- The goal to achieve, or the problem to solve
- The reality of the situation they’re in right now
- The obstacle(s) standing in their way of success
- What they will do to achieve the desired outcome.
Any colleague could coach you in a one-off situation. But mentoring is an ongoing relationship, about career issues that are broader than your day-to-day challenges.
The benefits of being a mentor
Mentoring can provide highly-rewarding opportunities for professional development, outside of any formal promotion, performance or pay review processes.
In an effective mentoring relationship, the mentor stands to benefit in as many ways as the mentee. Here are just three great benefits of being a mentor in the workplace:
1. You’ll become a better listener
Listening is probably the most important skill for a mentor. You’ll be equal parts careers coach, sounding board and agony aunt. It’s a role that will make you world class at absorbing people’s thoughts and feelings and reflecting them back so they feel heard and supported.
2. You’ll build your leadership skills
Mentoring is a great way to build your leadership skills and prove your readiness for line management. You’ll use most of the big line management skills – coaching, recognition, feedback, career planning – and prepare yourself to lead a team of your own someday.
3. You’ll get to make a difference
If you got into social care to make a difference in people’s lives, mentoring lets you do that with your colleagues as well as those within your care. With the right mentor, a person can discover the enthusiasm, opportunities and drive to reach their full career potential.
What are the different types of mentoring?
There’s no one-size-fits all approach to mentoring. You and your mentee(s) will find a process that works for you, and this might include a mix of in-person and online contact.
But there are three main types of mentoring that provide a good place to start.
One-to-one mentoring
You work with a single mentee, establishing a one-to-one relationship similar to that of a line manager and their direct report. You’ll meet often, in person, to discuss your mentee’s career goals, planning, challenges, progress – and anything else you might be able to support with.
Group mentoring
Perhaps you work for a large organisation, with three or four junior colleagues who could all benefit from your experience. There’s nothing stopping you from mentoring them all in a group set-up, where mentees might benefit from each other’s ideas as well as yours.
Virtual mentoring
Online mentoring is a great way to become a mentor if there are no obvious candidates within your own workplace. Connect with someone suitable via Linkedin or a dedicated mentoring agency, and hold your sessions over Zoom. Don’t let geography hold you back.
7 Traits of an effective mentor
Whichever type of mentoring you engage in, there are some universal best practices to ensure that both you and your mentee(s) get the most out of the relationship.
Here’s how to be an effective mentor with 7 simple behaviours.
1. Be available
If you’re unsure about becoming a mentor, start with this simple question: have I got the time? You’ll be an important source of support for your mentee, so it’s essential that you can make regular, scheduled meetings. Be confident in your availability before you commit.
2. Ask open-ended questions
Coaching and mentoring may be different, but there’s a lot of crossover between the roles when it comes to breaking down career barriers. A great mentor can coach their mentee into finding solutions, simply by asking the right ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ open-ended questions.
3. Share your experience
While active listening is about keeping the focus on the other person, don’t forget that you’ve been chosen as a mentor precisely because of your experience. Come to the relationship ready to share your career stories whenever they might help your mentee write their own.
4. Build a relationship
Your mentee must know that you have their best interests at heart, and that they can confide in you if needed. Discretion and trust are at the heart of mentoring. A mentor who gossips about their mentee or acts without consulting them is definitely not ready for the role.
5. Lead by example
Your past is an important factor in your suitability for mentoring, but so is your conduct in the present. Be prepared to act as a role model to your mentee, someone they can look to for inspiration when it comes to building a career and a reputation they can be proud of.
6. Create opportunities
Luck plays a big part in any successful career. Those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time can go places others didn’t even know existed. Mentoring is partly about highlighting possibilities and opportunities, and signposting places one might find them.
7. Give feedback
Does your mentee’s workplace have a feedback culture? If not, they’re missing out on valuable opportunities for development. As a mentor, you can fill the void by observing their approach and providing both positive and constructive feedback to help them learn and grow.
