Building upon last week’s message of mentorship, I wanted to dive a little deeper. Fred Manske Jr. author of the Secrets of Effective Leadership nailed it when he said, “The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point they surpass him or her in knowledge or ability.”

There are several characteristics of an effective mentor.
Wisdom: there is no substitution for experience. Your past successes and failures are your bank account for an effective mentor.
Empathy: chances are you were mentored and can relate to the place the mentee is in.
Patience: growing and developing people takes time. If you are not willing to invest the time needed, you simply cannot be effective at mentoring.
Skill: as the mentor, you are equipped and likely above average at the critical skills required to do the job. Your measurable success will give you credibility.

Your mentee will ask themselves if you have the experience, but your empathy and patience will drive the relationship.