Five Qualities for the Mentoring Manager

Two years ago, I attended a mentor training program.  Along with my fellow trainees, our upcoming assignment was to mentor a group of new facilitators that would be attending a training program the following week.

Although I expected that the content of the program would focus on mentoring techniques, the program facilitator began by spending the first two days getting us to probe deep within ourselves to determine what it was that we were bringing to the mentor experience.  “Part of your job as a mentor,” he told us, “is to be a role model for others.  And the only way to really understand that role is to understand yourself.”

Are you interested in mentoring individuals for your company?  Do you have what’s necessary for success in developing someone is a one-on-one relationship?  Let’s discuss some of the qualities for successful mentoring and see how you manage.

Obviously, the first quality of the mentoring manager is management experience.  Your experience should provide a window to the world outside for those you mentor so they can get out of their own corners and begin looking outwards.  In addition, through their relationship with you, they should be able to get some second-hand management experience in your business.

Second, mentoring managers need organizational insight.  Your knowledge about how your organization behaves should enable your learners to navigate it on their own.  Your leverage within your organization will also be useful for supporting your learners during negotiations and providing opportunities for further learning.

The third quality mentoring mangers need is credibility.  As a mentor you become a role model to your learners and the extent to which they look up to you will be defined by your own personal and professional credibility within your organization.

"Know thyself."  -  Socrates

A fourth quality valued highly by learners is accessibility.  The success of your mentor relationship begins with making yourself available, especially during the early stages when your learners may require more time and attention than you can give.  Discuss, agree to and honor the terms you establish with your learners so that you can provide what they need.

Fifth, mentoring managers need excellent communication skills.  Your learners will run up against walls that you need to talk them over.  They’ll need correction and critique.  They’ll also need to be verbally rewarded for a job well done.  Your ability to listen and respond in these situations will make all the difference in your relationship.

These five qualities are the foundation of what a successful mentoring manager needs.  If you possess them, someone is waiting for your help.