Character
It is crucial that as a mentor you are a person of good character. Someone who is doing the right stuff the right way.
Commitment
Effective mentors keep their commitments to their mentees.
Connection
Effective mentors “connect” with their mentees. They have an interest in how the mentee is doing.
Compassion
It’s one thing to mentor with passion, it’s another thing to mentor with “compassion”. You need to create a safe place for your mentees to share and learn and grow.
Coaching
Experience may be a good teacher, but other peoples experience is an even better one. As a mentor you must show and demonstrate to your mentee HOW you got where you are and what potholes and pitfalls to avoid. Help them learn from your experience. You can only take your mentee as far as you have travelled.
Consistency
If commitment gets you started, the consistency keeps you going. An effective mentor stays in constant contact with whomever they’re mentoring. Ultimately mentoring is about building and maintaining relationships.
