Letter from the President: Teresa Roof
Taking on the mentorship challenge
The school year has come to end. New college graduates are eagerly entering the workforce. Interns are also bringing new ideas to organizations for the summer months. Both of these demographics will be seeking out mentors. In some cases, you might be assigned to mentor the new employee or intern. If not, they may seek you out based on your position or skill sets. Are you ready?
Based on reading several articles on mentorship, combined with my personal experiences, I’m offering the following five tips on being a good mentor:
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Listen — Hear what your mentee has to say and help them navigate to a solution or next step, but don’t solve it for them. A good tip is to take notes. It will help you stay engaged and also allow you to follow up on any direction you provided during the mentoring session the next time you meet.
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Provide constructive feedback — Understand your mentee’s needs, strengths and where they want to go. Help by providing challenges that allow your mentee to grow professionally to meet their goals.
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Be a positive role model who motivates and inspires — Doing what you say you are going to do goes a long way. Also, don’t underestimate the value of sharing business acumen. It could be something as simple as an article you think your mentee might enjoy reading or learning from. It won’t go unnoticed.
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Establish mutual respect — Both parties need to feel safe to communicate openly without being judged or having a fear of repercussions. Even though you might have a jam-packed day, this maybe the most important meeting of the day for your mentee. Treat it as such. Their time is valuable, too.
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Show up, engage and participate — It's very important to be fully present, proactive and take initiative. Be willing to share your experiences, and not just the positive ones. Mentors have just as much to learn from mentees. By truly participating, you have the opportunity to learn as well.
I'm extremely grateful for the mentors in my life. I’ve also found being a mentor provides great personal satisfaction. Investing time and energy in someone and watching that person succeed is very rewarding. My hope is that you can use these tips to have a successful mentor/mentee relationship and learn something about yourself along the way. You're never too old to stop learning.
Submitted by Teresa Roof, APR, President
