Mentoring Your Employees

Mentoring your employees is an ideal way to polish their skills and help them achieve the innovation they are capable of attaining. It also benefits your business. Less experienced employees can gain insight and wisdom that isn’t readily available, and your business can gain a thought leader in the making.

Mentoring can also be a touchy subject. It involves training and teaching individuals who may excel in arenas different then our own skillsets. To develop a mentorship program that produces solid results, you should approach the process with a plan. We’ve outlined a few helpful tips to jump start the process:

Make Room for Your Protégé

Give your protégé an opportunity to suggest areas where they need improvement, rather than imposing your own personal beliefs. The last thing you want to do is scare off talented people because you’re forcing your wisdom on them. Take a relaxed approach and ask for their input prior to beginning any mentorship program.

Have Them Prepare

Ask your apprentice to prepare for each session by listing what they learned from the previous session and where they have improved since. You protégé should easily identify where they have improved. If they cannot, you need to revisit your strategy with them.

Put Their Privacy First

Never ever share information about your employee with other members of the team. The only way you can achieve real results is by showing how much you value your employee and by displaying professionalism through confidentiality.

Set an Example

This goes without saying, but be conscious of your actions while mentoring your employee. If you are rude, disinterested in your clients or possess a bad attitude, your employee will follow your lead.

Discover how you can benefit your employees by offering a mentorship program. You’ll be amazed at how it can improve employee morale and your business.