What really gets you pumped up in your personal and professional life? Enthused behaviour begets success. It is a mentor's role to get a team pumped up, and keep them that way. Mentoring is different than coaching in that coaching focuses primarily on task performance. Mentoring focuses on personal and professional growth and wellbeing of team members. Coaches are assigned to a team while mentors are self-selected.
Teams who request a mentor are counting on that person to function as the team cheerleader, counsellor, devil's advocate, team builder, peace keeper, facilitator, and pot stirrer. They are looking for someone to keep them inspired, lend support, refocus them on aspects of their work that needs attention, and make them think about issues that they would fail to ponder on their own.
The team mentor can be a team leader, team member, a friend of the team, or an up-line manager. Regardless of whom is the mentor, the team benefits most when the mentor is a good listener, and engages the team in a power-free, mutually beneficial manner. A great mentor never hesitates to challenge the team to push beyond their previous limits to attain higher goals.
The best team mentors are described as being good at asking thought-provoking questions, direct and forthright, a wonderful confidant and friend, and well-grounded in logic. A mentor assists the team in keeping their wits while all those around them are losing theirs. A calm, composed guide during turbulent times, a good team mentor will meet with the team on a weekly basis to keep them focused on its goals and priorities, and all pulling together.
Using a low-pressure approach, mentors tease out the potential of each team member, make their value to known to the rest of the team, and reinforce the personal and professional growth of every team member. Find a great mentor for your team today, and soon, you will wonder how you ever survived without them.
Our Team Challenge Events can help to tease out team members potential. A wide variety of activities will help bring hidden skills to the fore, including Time Management, Decision Making, Communication and many more.
