Let’s explore mentorship a bit more.
Why is mentorship important in Project Management?
Project Management is more and more about people management. You need to try and bring out the best in your team. So in many situations you may find it necessary to mentor – if you are a subject matter expert – guide someone else to mentor, who is a subject matter expert, or coach a team member. It is important to know what to do when and who to involve.
Yesterday we said a mentor is an experienced person who advises and helps some body with less experience over a period of time (Advanced Learners Oxford Dictionary). We also said A mentor is someone who shares their knowledge, skills and/or experience, to help another to develop and grow. (pushfar.com website)
What is Mentorship all about?
A mentorship engagement is a more formal engagement, in which clear goals are defined, a timeline is set. The mentor needs to be a subject matter expert and have relevant experience. This is all well and good. But what I am asking myself is what personality should a Mentor have and what should he bring to the table, so that a mentor does not become an instructor, but someone who nurtures the mentee.
To me a good mentor has these skills & attributes
Skills:
- Listening
- Leadership
- Good time keeping
- Organization skills
- Ability to structure content & explain in different ways if necessary
- Relationship building skills
- Empathy & Emotional Intelligence
Attributes:
- Humility
- Attentive listener
- Willing to give yourself and share your life & experience
- Willingness to serve
- Willingness to make a commitment to mentorship & be held accountable
Wow, You can see being a mentor is not a simple thing, it takes a whole lot out of you. But I have also found it very enriching. I always learn a lot from each mentee I engage with and find the human relationships you build amazing!
And it can be fun! So let’s develop the right attitude and start giving back by mentoring!