Mentorship is a great responsibility in both everyday life and business life. Mentors and leaders have the ability to shape and direct goals, learning, and performance. When mentors inside an independent contracting company see the value of their role inside both the company and to each team member then they can learn to shape their influence in a way that benefits each of their team members. In our post today, we are going to explore three ways in which great mentors leave a lasting mark:
-Meet each team member where they are-
Every team member inside a plumbing, HVAC or electrical company will be at a different level of skill, knowledge, and expertise. Great mentors learn to recognize the different stages of their team members and begin their influence as a mentor at each team member’s level. By working in this fashion, team mentors can ensure that they are not skipping passed important sales, service, or customer relation skills but rather thoroughly covering each topic. When team members feel they are fully immersed into every situation and scenario that may happen on the phone or in the field with a client then they can be confident in the skills and abilities their mentor has helped instill in them. Graciously meeting team members where they are in their skill set can also build, much needed, rapport and trust between team members and mentors.
-Praise and value each team member as an important piece of the company puzzle-
Along with learning to mentor each team member at their level, it is also important that mentors and leaders see all of their team members as valuable company components and treat all team members as such. The best way to boost a person’s desire to work, learn, and grow is to praise them for their hard work and complement their areas of growth and improvement. People respond in a much more positive manner to encouragement and praise than to constant criticism and put down. When mentors and leaders treat each team member as a value piece of the company puzzle then team members begin to rise to the level of praise they receive. When mentors learn to outwardly praise and inwardly value each team member then they can successfully begin to build a strong base of mentorship that will leave a lasting mark with their team.
-Build future mentors by instilling independence and growth-
Great leaders and mentors want their mentees to grow into better and stronger leaders than themselves. A way in which mentors grow strong future mentors is by working to instill a continual growth pattern as well as work to make their team members independent rather than solely dependent upon mentorship. Mentors set their team members up to be lifelong learners and influencers by working to keep team members constantly growing and learning new proficiencies and knowledge. It is also important to ensure that mentees are not solely dependent upon their mentors and leaders in the long run. While there is nothing wrong with looking towards a mentor through different stages in life and business, it is important that team members go on to grow into leaders themselves who are not afraid to embrace situations on their own. When mentors work to grow strong and independent mentees then they are helping cultivate strong future leaders and mentors.
Mentors and leaders play a major role inside independent contracting companies. In our post today, we dove into three of these important roles: meeting mentees at their own skill level, valuing each team member, as well as instilling lifelong growth and independence in mentees. Thank you for following our weekly posts. Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning!
-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training
