<ul><li>A desire to develop and help others. A good mentor is sincerely interested in helping someone else without any “official” reward. Good mentors do it because they genuinely want to see someone else succeed.</li><li>The ability and availability to commit real time and energy to the mentoring relationship. Good intentions aren’t enough—mentoring takes time!</li><li>Current and relevant industry or organizational knowledge, expertise, and/or skills. The best mentors have deep knowledge in an area that the mentee wishes to develop.</li></ul>

Qualities to Look for in a Mentor 

The benefits of mentoring are myriad. For individuals, <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/workplace-loyalties-change-but-the-value-of-mentoring-doesnt/">studies show </a>that good mentoring can lead to greater career success, including promotions, raises, and increased opportunities. Organizations that embrace mentoring are <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-kantor/four-key-benefits-of-work_b_9432716.html">rewarded </a>with higher levels of employee engagement, retention, and knowledge sharing. In fact, mentoring has proved so beneficial that <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/workplace-loyalties-change-but-the-value-of-mentoring-doesnt/">71% of Fortune 500 </a>companies offer mentoring programs to their employees.

Importance of Mentoring 

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Committed to expanding their capabilities and focused on achieving professional results.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Clear about their career goals, needs, and wants. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Willing to ask for help, show vulnerability, and explore different paths and perspectives. Mentees must be open and receptive to learning and trying new ideas.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Able to seek and accept feedback—even the “constructive” kind—and act upon it.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Be personally responsible and accountable. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Ready, willing, and able to meet on a regular basis. Relationships take time to develop, so mentees must also be committed to upholding their end of the bargain.</li></ul>

Mentees Need to BE

<ul><li>A willingness to share failures and personal experiences. Mentors need to share both their “how I did it right” and their “how I did it wrong” stories.</li><li>A growth mindset and learning attitude. </li><li>Skill in developing others. This includes the very real skills of: active listening, asking powerful, open-ended questions, self-reflection, providing feedback and being able to share stories that include personal anecdotes, case examples, and honest insight. </li></ul>

Just as there are specific characteristics of a successful mentor, there are attributes and sensibilities that make for a good mentee. This is important, because mentees must remember that mentors are doing this from the goodness of their heart, so being a good mentee is the best way to ensure the relationship enjoys a healthy purposeful existence.

What Makes a Good Mentee

A good mentor needs to be more than just a successful individual. A good mentor must have the disposition and desire to develop other people. It requires a willingness to reflect on and share one’s own experiences, including one’s failures. Great mentors must be able to both “talk the talk” and “walk the walk.”

What Makes A Good Mentor

<ul><li>Contact and response times: Who contacts whom? How? What are acceptable response times? </li><li>Meetings: Where, when, and how often? Are you meeting in person? On the phone? Virtually? </li><li>Confidentiality: What’s shareable and what isn’t? </li><li>Focus: What are the parameters of the mentoring? What’s in and out of bounds? </li><li>Feedback: What are the expectations around giving and receiving feedback? </li><li>Goals and accountability: What would each party want from this experience? How does the mentee want the mentor to hold her accountable? How does the mentor want the mentee to hold her accountable? </li> </ul>

Mentoring Relationship 

Since January is National Mentoring Month, now is the perfect time to explore the positive impact that mentoring can have on your career. Whether you are the mentor or the mentee, the mentoring relationship can push your career to new heights.