Question

What are some important characteristics of a good mentor?

Answer 1

Mentors are an important part one’s personal and professional development. They bottom line of mentor and mentee relationship or pairing is to have someone who is invested in your progress and guide you in the right direction. With that in mind, below are a few characteristics of a good mentor:

1. Listening: A mentor must have a good listener rather merely hearing what the mentee is saying but to make complete sense of what they are trying to say. Active listening is a core skill for being an effective mentor. Active listening also involves responding through eye contact, facial expressions, non-verbal communication like nodding etc. It is also important that the mentor probs with meaningful questions to steer the discussion deeper.

2. Ability to offer feedback: Mentorship completes a circle when the mentor actively listens, process the information and then provides feedback. A good mentor should be providing actionable feedback to the mentee and provide constructive criticism if required. The feedback must be without judgement, bias, assumptions and personal belief and purely intended towards progress.

3. Compassion: Good mentors are compassionate towards their mentees. Compassion leads us towards considerations, such as, what does mentee need the most right now? Or what has to change for them to progress out of this situation?

4. Approachability & Availability: Only if a mentee feels comfortable sharing his/her experience with a mentor will the relationship be a meaningful one. A good mentor should hence be approachable and available. A warm welcoming smile can go a long way to set you as an approachable mentor. As far as availability goes, a good mentor makes time for the mentee and is able to give undivided attention during their discussions.

Other than the above mentioned other important characteristics of a good mentor is honestly, genuineness, staying objective, being experts in their field (especially for academic mentors), ability to share the knowledge etc.