The aim of mentoring in industry placements is to help students reach their learning and personal development goals, with the right support and without being judged. As a good mentor, you’ll have the knowledge and behavioural attributes to develop a productive, beneficial two-way relationship with your student.
What mentors should know about and how their knowledge helps
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How mentors behave
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Personality and trust
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Emotional intelligence and empathy
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Flexing your approach
Good mentoring requires specific knowledge and behaviours. A good mentor will have some theoretical understanding as well as displaying the appropriate behaviours that can bring this knowledge to life. Let's first define what we mean by knowledge and behaviours:
Knowledge
There are three broad types of knowledge. These are categorised as personal knowledge, e.g. ‘I know this person,’ or ‘I know the way home’; knowing facts, e.g ‘I know that there are 52 weeks in a year,’ or ‘I know that you paid the money into the bank yesterday’ and ‘know-how’ e.g. knowing how to drive a car or play a musical instrument.
Behaviours
Behaviour describes the way people act in response to a situation. Behaviours (with an s) are the types of behaviour which generally apply in certain kinds of situation. Behaviours are thought to be innate or instinctive, and they can also be learned. They tend to be transferable across different situations.
What should a mentor know about and what sort of behaviours should they adopt in their mentoring role?
— The organisation and how it works
— Networks, opening doors
— The job, the occupation
— How people learn and develop at work
— Open minded, adaptable
— Confidential, professional
— Patient, respectful
— Inspiring, enthusiastic
— Emotionally intelligent, empathetic
Here are a few ideas about how your knowledge helps in the mentoring role:
Use your knowledge...
You know the organisation (or the department where the student is on placement) well
You’re experienced in the way things work
You understand who’s who and what the key relationships are
You know what’s involved in the job the student is doing
You can find specialist support if needed e.g. for mental health issues
You understand how people learn at work
…so you can help students to:
Realise what their role is and how they contribute to the organisation
Set realistic placement tasks that take them towards their goal
Open the right doors and get the right answers from colleagues
Tackle the work they’re given with confidence
Get any extra support if they need it to prosper and make progress
Learn at the same time as carrying out work tasks
I’ve felt it has extended my network of contacts and given me different insights into how other departments work
STUDENT BEING mentored as part of a healthcare course
The mentors I know have worked very closely with operational issues and matters, so they know their stuff … but also the point is that they’re there to coach … one of their primary roles is to really encourage the person to find their own answers
Coordinator of a mentoring programme in a public sector organisation
Mentors are likely to be:
Being like this allows mentors to behave in helpful ways e.g. by encouraging students, praising their efforts and achievements, giving constructive feedback and generally making sure that students feel appreciated.
Trust is another key to the relationship between mentor and student. Students need to know that they can trust you, that you respect them and that you have their best interest at heart.
I’d say from a personality point of view, my mentor takes a very gentle approach to mentoring. He has a really lovely, calm disposition and so you don’t come out of there feeling like you’ve been beaten over the head with a hammer… he really gives you a lot of internal confidence
Student on a mentoring programme for young entrepreneurs
How can mentors go about building trust with the people they mentor?
Mentors use emotional intelligence and empathy to understand and interpret the emotions and feelings of the student and work out the best way of moving the mentoring relationship forward.
Emotional intelligence is:
Empathy means:
Research shows a positive relationship between the emotional intelligence and empathy displayed by mentors and how much trust students put in the mentoring relationship.
Here are three steps to taking an emotionally intelligent, empathetic approach to mentoring:
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Ask for feedback from the student to understand the impact you have on them
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Reflect on the feedback – think about how subtle changes may have affected the outcome
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Flex your style according to the individual and the situation
You can flex your approach as a mentor by adapting it to individual characteristics (differences) in the student you’re mentoring. Profiling tools such as Myers Briggs, Insights Discovery or DISC can give an insight into some of these differences, which could provide a starting point for adapting. See 'Further reading' to find out more about three popular examples of such tools.
Another classic model uses the attributes of various animals to illustrate behavioural differences in a lighthearted way – but remember that every student is different and none will conform exactly to these types.
Bull:
— Direct
— Focussed
— Decisive
— Confident
— In control
— Fast paced
— Decisive
— Objective
Dolphin:
— Enthusiastic
— Creative
— Persuasive
— Spontaneous
— Not detailed
— Networker
— Fun
— Plate-spinner
Owl:
— Organised
— Formal
— Structured
— Likes detail
— Analytical
— Precise
— Controlling
— Task-oriented
Dove:
— Team player
— Friendly
— Supportive
— Empathetic
— Indecisive
— Loyal
— Submissive
— People-pleaser
How would you go about mentoring someone who displays these traits?
The Bull acts and thinks quickly, and is motivated by solid actions, recognisable progress and achievement. Keep communication pacey and to the point. Talk more in facts than feelings to keep things objective and action-orientated. Be prepared to work fast to help the student get to the point. Avoid waffle and don’t be vague.
Dolphins are sociable and have wide interests, which they like to be acknowledged. Cover the whole environment in your conversations, in and outside work. Dolphins are creative and get bored easily so avoid too much detail and keep the content lively. They tend to go out of focus so guide the meetings firmly but with a light touch. Capture actions and keep them clear.
Owls enjoy detail and analysis. Be ready to look at situations in depth. Ask questions and give enough time for the student to reflect on their experience and learning. Owls are at their best when they can research, reflect and apply what they learn in a logical way. Don’t expect quick decisions or swift answers. Meetings should be structured and quite formal with no surprises to bring out the best in the Owl.
Doves are people-pleasers and team players with a strong sense of personal values. They’re not always the first to speak, so encourage them and listen empathetically to what they say. Learn about what matters to them and take this into account. Reflective by nature, they like order and dislike being forced into quick decisions. They are at their best when thinking about things from the viewpoint of others.
What mentors should know about and how their knowledge helps
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How mentors behave
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Personality and trust
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Emotional intelligence and empathy
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Differentiation and adaptation
Pegg, M. (2000). The Art of Mentoring
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Phillips-Jones, L. (2002). Skills for Successful Mentoring
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Kay, D. (2009). A Practical Guide to Mentoring
Profiling tools:
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