Characteristics of a Successful Mentor

Successful business professionals do not necessarily make successful mentors. Certain individuals are more effective in the role of developing others. Whether or not an individual is suited to the role of a mentor may depend on his or her own stage of development, experience, personality, or interests.

Some of the qualities essential in a successful mentor include:

  • A servant’s heart—passionate about helping others
  • An excellent reputation—known for their excellence and respected by others
  • A willingness and ability to spend time and energy on another individual
  • Up-to-date knowledge—being well-read and maintaining current technical skills
  • A life-long learner—seeing the value of continuous learning and enjoying the learning process
  • Excellent listening skills
  • An encouraging and uplifting spirit
  • An ability to help others work through problems without becoming frustrated or bored
  • An understanding of proper behavior in the workplace, in social situations, and in one-on-one interactions, and diplomacy in communication
  • Understanding expectations in terms of appearance, punctuality, and interactions within office settings
  • Excellent stewardship of resources, time, and otherwise
  • Lives with honesty and integrity and is candid with others without being judgmental or hurtful
  • Is well-connected, networked, and has a multitude of people and resources at the ready as a natural part of their work system
  • Commitment and stability as a person and an employee—others can count on them to do what they say they are going to do
  • Discreetness—feels no need to share information inappropriately
  • Doesn’t answer every question with, “The way I do it...” or “At my institution, we....”—understanding that mentees need to work out problems and issues within their own setting and that the way they do certain things may not necessarily work for everyone else in every situation
  • An effective communicator—verbally, non-verbally and written
  • Innovative and visionary ideas
  • The willingness to admit their own failures and share them publicly for the benefit of others
  • The insight to determine when the mentor/mentee relationship is not working and the willingness to back away appropriately without regard to ego or the need to assign blame