No one is born knowing everything. Everybody, even titans of industry like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, has risen to where they are because of lessons they learned from their mentors, who have in turn gained knowledge from those before them.
Our society is a chain of knowledge and teachings stretching back through the ages, and one of our great duties today is to continue passing that knowledge to our children and students. I learned some of my best lessons from my greatest mentor, my father.
Here are my three lessons for anyone who finds themselves in a mentor position.
Teach a Growth Mindset
Too many people go through their lives thinking that they are naturally talented in a few areas and naturally weak in others.
This mentality is widespread in our society and can cause someone to pigeon-hole themselves and not invest time or effort into growing their skill sets.
If you find yourself mentoring youths, employees, or others, teach them that they can excel in anything and that the only “weaknesses” are lack of experience or a lack of effort—both of which can be solved through sheer perseverance.
By Constructive and Clear with Feedback
When the time comes that your protégé has made a mistake, turn this into an opportunity to grow. By being constructive in your feedback and demonstrating the steps to avoiding such issues in the future, you are setting them up for greater success.
However, mentors shouldn’t sacrifice honesty for the sake of kindness as it’s important to be clear when someone has made a mistake and where things went wrong.
Understand Their Goals
Never teach lessons based on what you would or wouldn’t do, but instead ask your students what they believe is the best way to approach a situation and have them rethink their answers to better develop their own skills.
Once your student is ready to pursue their career path, you will have given them critical thinking skills and abilities that will help them on the road to success.
Being a mentor and having the opportunity to help build someone into the person they dream of being is a rare opportunity. I can help you feel confident and prepared for this monumental task. Check out my website to better hone your maestro mindset to cultivate the next generation of leaders and thinkers.
