What should a good mentor do?

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” —Dale Carnegie

While growing up in the family business, my dad played a huge part in mentoring me about the business world.

At a very young age, I would listen to him talk on the phone at his office, and later, I would go home and pretend I was doing the same thing on my phone. He was in sales all my life, so I grew up hearing him talk about whatever product he was selling.

I also would read the books or articles he was reading at the time. He would read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” several times a year and he encouraged me to do the same. Dad was a great mentor and many of the things he taught me then I still do to this day.

It is very important to have mentors in your life. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have several mentors in my life to aid me in different situations. Now, I am a mentor to others as well.

I think if you are in a leadership position, you essentially take on the role as a mentor to your staff. Leaders should bring value to their staff and help them find their talents. It is all about making a difference in someone’s life. My motto is to always look for ways to give back. When you do, you will reap the opportunity to see someone’s life blossom. What a great gift that can be!

I want to leave with you five steps to being a great mentor.

1. Learn about the person you are mentoring. What are his/her dreams and goals?
2. Discover and know the person’s talents and help them to zone in on those.
3. Stay in contact with the person with follow-up phone calls and meetings.
4. Encourage the person each time you meet to always move forward.
5. Help the person dream about his/her passions.

I would like to hear your ideas on mentoring others in the workplace and at home. Please post your ideas in the comments below.