Every great mentor must display the following three qualities - charitable spirit, courage and curiosity - in order to be effective.
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Every great leader worth his/her salt has been approached by someone to be his/her mentor. While getting mentored has a lot of advantages, being a mentor is advantageous too. In fact, mentoring others is an excellent way to boost one's leadership presence and gravitas. However, being an effective mentor is not as simple as one would believe. Every great mentor shares three qualities - charitable spirit, courage / conviction and curiosity. These are the key ingredients to becoming a mentor who can help his/her mentees reach new heights.
Charitable Spirit
A mentor should have a charitable spirit. This means that he/she should be generous with his / her ideas, inputs, and assistance. A mentor should not strive for the recognition of his/her contribution but rather the successful outcome of his/her mentee's actions.
A charitable mentor will
- Focus on the needs, issues and problems of his/her mentee
- Detach himself/herself from the egoistical pursuit of recognition for himself/herself
- Provide physical and mental support to mentees for achieving their goals
- Strive for the development & growth of his/her mentees
Courage / Conviction
Courage/ Conviction is the second quality that mentors need to possess. It refers to the ability to have tough conversations and the confidence in the ability of the mentees. This allows the mentor to address the mentees' issues directly and efficiently.
A courageous mentor will :
- Not hesitate to bring up difficult or sensitive issues if they need to be addressed
- Have faith in the skills and abilities of his/her mentees
- Tackle problems head on
- Deal with his/her mentee with transparency
Curiosity
The mentor must be willing to go on a quest for finding the solutions to the mentee's problem if he/she doesn't have an answer. Additionally, the mentor must also be interested in both the personal and professional life of his/her mentor as both influence one another.
A curious mentor will :
- Show willingness to brainstorm, research and explore for new solutions to old problems
- Have genuine interest in the major personal and professional developments of his/her mentees
- Display the ability to learn new ways and means of achieving intended outcomes
