Mentorship is probably the most common method that businesses use to train and develop their employees. Peter Decaprio says it is a well-known fact that guidance and support from influential people in your life can help you gain confidence and succeed. Mentors play a major role in creating leaders, managers and influencers within your business. If you want an effective mentoring program, you need to get your employees on board.
Peter Decaprio: Here are some tips to help you become the mentor of your team!
1. Ensure there is a clear purpose
When senior management establishes a mentoring program for employees, they want to encourage an environment of collaboration. And cooperation where more junior members of staff can learn from more experienced ones, says Peter Decaprio. Their goal is to build better leaders within their organisation who will bring about greater results in performance and productivity by having effective work practices. For this reason alone, it’s important that the mentors focus on the development of their mentees rather than simply imparting knowledge or skillset without focusing on helping them grow in accordance with organizational objectives. Establish what you expect from them so that both parties know what they’re aiming for.
2. Conduct meaningful assessments
Timely and regular feedback is the foundation of any relationship where learning takes place. Whether it’s between a mentor and mentee or among team members. You will be able to identify an individual’s strengths and weaknesses so that you can determine what new skills they need to acquire and which ones they should brush up on. This will ensure your employees stay motivated as you assess their progress on a regular basis. Instead of only at the end of the year. For example, if your employees work in shifts, share their expertise via online platforms such as Mentor loop to help those complete tasks more efficiently.
3. Be active outside office hours
The best mentors are those who invest in their mentees’ personal and professional growth outside of work hours. They should be able to motivate and inspire them during meetings, not only in the workplace but also outside of it too. You can bring your mentee along to events that you attend or organize lunches where they can discuss challenges that they’re facing at work with you. By becoming involved in their personal lives, you will gain a better understanding of how best to support them.
4. Look out for the red flags
Some employees are more receptive than others when mentors try to engage with them so if one seems hesitant towards you, don’t take it personally! Mentoring requires patience so prepare you to put in extra time and effort before expecting results. You may want to observe your employees first before making any assumptions as some may be more introverted and not so keen on having a mentor. Try to determine if there’s anything else they need help with apart from their work performance and provide them the space and time they require to think about it.
5. Create a plan of action
Before embarking on this program, create an employee profile for each mentee by jotting down his or her successes, challenges. And any other important information that you feel will benefit the mentoring process such as interests outside of work. This way, you can establish how best to approach he or she based on their strengths and weaknesses. You should also note your mentee’s future goals for consideration when planning activities for them to attend which will help them meet their objectives.
6. Reward your mentees
By showing appreciation for all the work your mentees put in, you will encourage them to continue growing as individuals and this is vital to your business’s success. There are various ways that you can thank them such as bringing food. Or giving out small tokens of appreciation at the end of every successful mentoring cycle. When employees feel valued within an organisation, they’re more likely to stay motivated and become valuable assets! Mentor loop is a leading online platform that connects mentors with high-potential employees to transform businesses globally. If you need online mentoring software visit us today!
Conclusion:
Peter Decaprio shares mentoring is an investment that companies can make in their employees to help them grow and become better at what they do. By teaching your subordinates how to be proactive, you will ensure they feel appreciated so that your business develops together with the individuals within it. Your goal as a mentor should be to improve your mentee’s overall performance so keep this in mind whenever you meet up with them.