b'FEATUREFEATUREact of sharing their talent, because they feel they might mental attitude. The great mentoring candidate wantsbe replaced. And a mentor may also be afraid of losing to grow professionally and perform at a higher level,their edge if the mentee should communicate the shared says Goruk. The individual must listen well and beinformation with others. willing to change.Greatmentorsavoidgrindingapersonal Bonus tip: Assess a mentoring candidates potential inphilosophical axe that might warp the learning process. lightoftheirpreviousresponsetoguidance.AnAgoodmentoriscompletelyobjectiveaboutthe individual who has been open to coaching will likely becompany and is not trying to push a personal agenda, a good mentee, says Star.says Weiss. He or she looks out for the best interests ofthementee,inawaythatisconsistentwiththecompanys strategy.Finally, great mentors are not only willing to performthe required work, they also have the time to do so.Andthey must have a genuine interest in a mentees success. Arementorsbornormade?Both,saysWeiss.While you may be able to easily find some people withnative mentoring skills, theres nothing wrong withprovidingsometraining-evenjustahalfdaysdiscussion covering the ground rules.Bonustip:Agoodmentorneednotbeinthementees chain of command. Although a boss can bea mentor, its often more effective when someone who GREAT MENTORINGis not in a position to judge performance or make Some mentoring relationships thrive; others witherdecisionsaboutcontinuedemploymentprovides on the vine. How can your own efforts find a home infeedback and guidance, says Frankel. the first group? Experts suggest these tips for success:Establish parameters. The mentor needs to define theLISTEN UP scope of the mentoring relationshipwhat it is andNow, for the other side of the selection coin: Who what it isnt, says Frankel. For example, mentoringmakes a great mentee? Frankel says the best candidates might not be advocacy. A mentor who cant or wontpossess at least three of these five characteristics:put in a good word for a mentee applying for a(1) An innate desire to learn for the sake of learning, promotion might be willing to help prepare for annot just because its required for the job;interview or provide insight into what a position will(2)Thewillingnesstotakerisksanddothings require.differently than theyve always done them;Setgoalswhenappropriate.Themostsuccessful(3) Openness to feedback and the ability to internalize mentoringprogramscenterontheindividualsit without over-personalizing it;perceivedneeds.Ratherthanmakeyourown(4) Insight into why they act as they do and the ability interests the agenda, start by asking what the menteeto see themselves as others see them; needs, says Avdoian. Perhaps the person needs to(5) Humility or the knowledge that theres always develop a more impressive leadership style, a moreroom to grow.authoritative posture, or a more positive attitude. The most successful mentees lack sensitive egos that Are specific goals necessary? Maybe not. Successfulcan get in the way of processing constructive criticism. mentoringisoftenmoreaboutcreatingasafeAnd the best ones realize the dynamics of mentoring environmenttodiscusscareerissuesandexploreare a two-way street. The mentee should not only be challenges than it is about doing any one particularwillingtolearnfrompeoplewhohavebeenthere thing, says Frankel.before, but they should also be willing to share their Sometimes goals are called for. If you have identifiedownskillsortalentstobenefitthementor,says a weak performance area, then a specific, measurableAvdoian. I have mentored many people and I always goal will be helpful, says Goruk. But if you are justlearn from them. trying to develop your bench strength and preparePerhaps the most important characteristic is a positive people for advancement, the goal might be simply thecontinued on page 12THIRD QUARTER 2019 11'