The first act of people management is unofficial and that is when mentoring someone.
As a mentor you will practice skills that you will need should you decide to become a manager:
- Listening carefully – listening is the most basic skill of managing people. It is a precursor to empathy, one of the core skills of a quality manager
- Clear communication – communicate what needs to happen, provide clarity along the way
How to mentor an intern?
Before hiring an intern, make sure he will graduate in the year after their internship.
- prepare his arrival – make sure he has everything he needs to start
- have a project to work on – make him work on a clear project
- have him present you the work – help him feel like his work mattered
How to mentor a new hire?
This is an opportunity to see the world of your company through fresh eyes. Mentoring a new hire implies on boarding, helping him adjust to life in the company and building your and her networks of contacts in the company.
- what are the rules? spoken and unspoken?
- update onboarding documents
- chance to introduce the new person around
- network building is a worthwhile investment of your time and energy
Key takeaways for a mentor
Don’t become a mentor unless if you think it will be rewarding for you and the person you are mentoring. As a mentor, you should focus on three actions for yourself:
As a mentor, you should focus on three actions for yourself:
- be curious and open-minded – it is a great opportunity to see the world through fresh eyes
- listen and speak mentees language – you will be forced to home your communication skills
- tell the mentee what you expect from him in an explicit manner
- make connections – treat the person well, don’t abuse the mentoring relationship
Key takeaways for mentee
- don’t waste your mentor’s time
- think about if you need a mentor
As a manager you help the team by creating clear, focused goals.
Why creating the mentoring relationship?
When assigning a mentor for the new hire, ask yourself what do you want to achieve by creating that relationship. Mentoring relationship exists for:
- helping a new person to get up to speed and be productive
- helping junior people pair with senior people for career or skills growth
So, try to make sure there is some guidance.
Recognise that this is an additional responsibility for the mentor
The productivity of the mentor may slow down during the mentoring period. A mentor should be recognised for the work they put in as it yields valuable returns in the form of better employee networks, faster on boarding and higher internship conversion.