Mentoring is the process of guiding the development of other individuals who are usually entry level individuals by more experienced and have had outstanding achievement in their areas of expertise. Mentors play a significant role in the development of young professionals and entrepreneurs. Mentoring is a great opportunity for mentors to share their experiences and expertise with upcoming professionals. It is also a great opportunity for mentees to learn from their seniors and to avoid many pitfalls. Mentoring has become a very common phenomenon in the recent past (Vault Editors, 2006). However, to become a successful mentor, there are steps that need to be taken.
It is important for a mentor to build a trust relationship with the mentee. The mentee will only benefit from the advice of the mentor if he or she trust the mentor. The first step, therefore, is to build trust and to ensure that both the mentor and the mentee have the same goal. As a mentor, it is also important to have a successful track record so that as the mentor gives advice to the mentees they can relate the advice that they are offered to the successes of the mentor (Vault Editors, 2006). There also needs to exist mutual respect between the mentor and the mentees. It is easy to give and take advice from people with whom there is mutual respect.
According to Vault Editors, (2006), a mentor should be able to help the mentees identify their weaknesses and help them with solutions on how they can overcome them. A mentee will take the criticism of the mentor positively if he understands the basis for criticism. Finally, mentors can also ensure that their advice is perceived constructively by using various methods to deliver their advice (Vault Editors, 2006).
Reference
Vault Editors, (2006). Master of Business Administration Career Bible (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Vault Inc.
