Effective Mentoring

When we first make contact with a potential team member it is essential that we answer their questions truthfully and to the best of our knowledge. Be yourself, because if you are not your new team members will find out soon enough. To be an effective mentor we need to start by practicing what we preach. A new team member will loose motivation fairly quick if you are telling them how to do things without implementing the strategies yourself. To be an effective mentor we have to lead by example.

Once our team members start to trust us, they will realize that you have their best interests at heart. As an effective mentor you can achieve more by helping others to achieve their targets first. By helping others, they will help you. To inspire people you’ll need to create a fun and informative environment for them. Nothing is worse than a boring lecture, call, course or teleconference.

Treat others with integrity and honesty and always remember the rule of reciprocity. You will get what you put out. Effective mentoring allows the mentor to be accessible for their team members without robbing him/her of their precious time. The sooner your team starts to respect your private hours, the more an effective mentor you will become. Don’t make the mistake of becoming available 24/7 as this would defeat the purpose.

An effective mentor is a natural leader. He/she listens to their team and takes on board suggestions. Even if it means change. Your main aim is to provide your people with useful training and help them to grow their business step by step. Mentoring is not to be mistaken for teaching! Being a great teacher doesn’t necessary make you a great mentor.

Providing regular team support and follow ups will enable the effective mentor to establish him/herself as a leader to the group. People will respect you for your leadership and your honesty. When you mentor others you will need to teach them the fundamentals of duplication. Show them, let them try in front of you and then do themselves. As an effective mentor we are not military commanders. We simply take our team members by the hand and lead them toward to success.