Tip #448: 5 Ways to Develop an Employee into a Mentor

   

Your highest performing and most talented employees are obvious assets to your team and organization; however, they tend to get the least amount of attention from management because they need the least amount of help.

Turning your efforts towards your top performers can actually improve your overall team - especially if you can develop them into mentors for others.  

Your Highest Performing Workers Might Be Great Mentors To Others.

Effective leaders understand how to build relationships in and out of an organization, but convincing them to spend their time coaching or mentoring others may require an incentive and persistence on your part.

5 Skills Should You Look For When Considering An Employee As A Mentor: 

1. Look For Someone Who Exhibits Results-Oriented Behavior:The key is finding someone who looks at finishing a project and then moves on to other projects - one that closes any and all open issues. 

2. Look For Someone Who Manages A Project Well: With so many projects being worked on at once, look for someone who can manage large task even though they are being pulled in different directions.  Remember, good project management skills can be contagious.

3. Look For Someone Who Is Proactive: Many good leaders are already proactive. And with a bit of tweaking, a leader can apply this thinking to mentoring.  Additionally, someone who is proactive is never satisfied with the status quo. 

4. Look For Someone Who Exhibits Leadership Skills: In addition to a go-getter mentality, a mentor must have solid leadership skills. As all good leaders know, you need to be goal-oriented, aligned with the organization's vision and make good decisions that add to the overall value to the company.    

5. Look For Someone Who Focuses On Overall Value: Mentors not only enlist the help of others, but they also assist others to contribute maximum value to the organization. Plus, skilled mentors who know value are great resources to use when developing joint ventures in and outside the organization. 

Executive Summary: If you organization has a mentoring program, mull over this vital point: Build upon your organization's core vision and value - but remain a pioneer in your thinking.  Another point:  Select the employees who are engaged, innovative thinkers and are highly productive.

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