Effective Mentor Competencies

Effective Mentor Competencies
Sridhar Gopal, Management Consultant, India
1. The key competency is the “listening” (old and still important), understanding the situation around the person and being able to relate this to personal, professional or both etc. whichever is obstructing the client’s professional ability. So here is the sidelining of the idea that ‘personal and professional aspects are different’. In other words it is probably prudent to cover personal/family/corporate aspects during the mentoring process.
2. Businesses are growing global. Mentors must have a global outlook but connect to individuals effectively on a local platform. This way mentors could develop a broader cultural capability in their clients.
3. Mentoring is a rapidly growing “profession” and there could be increased commercial interest for it in the near future. Mentors must have a thorough understanding of human and business values and try to bring about a synergy in the course of the mentoring process.
Well, the list could go on. These are just some initial thoughts out of my understanding and not a well researched work. In fact it lacks that!

Necessary Qualities of a Mentor
Andrew Blaine, Business Consultant, South Africa
In my opinion, to be effective, a mentor must have the following qualities, not necessarily in order of priority:
1. They must have extensive knowledge and experience in their field of "expertise;
2. They must have the necessary patience and willingess to train and guide the "mentored".
3. They must have the desire to pass on their knowledge and expertise to the next generation; and
4. They must seek the reward that comes from the production of a well-qualified monitored person.
While the method used to pass on their knowledge will depend on the mentor, this should not be a limiting factor in the process.