Most successful people have mentors who help them discover and make the most of their potential.
While many mentors are naturally a part of our lives, today we can make this a more effective part of our performance development. Training mentors and coaches, and giving them access to effective tools, guarantees great results from great mentors.
Effective mentoring is a relationship where two people agree to help maximize performance and achieve goals. With a special relationship, the right mentor will improve anyone: the youth; those at work; achievers in sport; and business leaders – anyone who wants to improve and become the best they can be. Constructive mentoring is about building relationships, based on acceptance, affirmation, and respect. It is a deliberate relationship, often planned and managed, with transparent goals and clear objectives.
Once these relationships are established, both parties can focus on real goals. Both people will benefit from the relationship when they identify and agree on what needs to be addressed. Our research consistently indicates the importance of self-esteem and resilience in every person trying to achieve performance goals. Now mentors can get help to guide them to discover the problems early in their relationship.
The greatest difficulties are beginning. The difficulty most mentors face is trying to identify the factors that impact on these two bases: self-esteem and resilience. Online profiling tools now exist that provide the mentor and mentee with a neutral framework to more easily identify these influencers. And there is a set of tools available for each area of action.
- Workplace
- Athletes
- Students, families and youth
- Leaders and managers
Having specialized assessment tools adds focus, measurement, and an initial impetus to mentoring changes. By incorporating online mentoring tools into the mentoring process, a good ‘natural’ mentor can become a great mentor who exhibits the following skills:
- New management and communication skills.
- Greater awareness to develop performance in others.
- Satisfaction to see that the potential of others is actualized.
- Inspiration and leadership.
Without this clear definition, and with no way to measure change, both the mentor and the mentee can quickly become unmotivated, and relationships meander through a series of enjoyable social gatherings with little real progress. Even more damaging is the possibility that the apprentice will perceive another failed relationship and give up hope for self-improvement. People like to see their progress recorded visibly. If some form of measure is applied to monitor progress, the mentoring relationship is more likely to produce sustainable changes in the mentee. These personal performance improvements will include:
- Improved performance and achievement of realistic goals.
- Empowered decision making.
- Maximized personal potential.
- Growth of healthy self-esteem, resilience, and a sense of worth.
Now mentors can save time, avoid those initial awkward moments by sharing, and identify personal qualities. There are performance tools available online that offer a neutral framework, shared language, and objective initiators to keep your coaching / mentoring relationship running effectively.
Great coaches and mentors can be great, and the people they coach will be even better.