Have you ever acted as a mentor to a co-worker? What steps do you take when mentoring a peer/colleague at work?

While working in a group, understanding your co-worker and his/her issues is the key element of success. Mentoring someone in your group over his/her issues is a deal done everyday of the job. For example, a group consists of all kinds of people having several qualities and shortcomings too. These shortcomings can be overcome easily if properly discussed through. The steps taken by me are:

1. Gaining the trust of co-workers. So they can feel comfortable over discussing their issues

2. Being friendly without being personal and keeping myself in the professional circle.

3. Assuring them that they would be helped in every possible aspect.

4. Helping them in every possible and professional way. 

5. Finally making them work according to the situation with proper appreciation. 

In my view the relationship has to be  that of a "COACH and Player".

 

1) Identify the strength areas of the Co worker.

2) Have an honest discussion with him w.r.t his future plans and careen roadmap.

3) Jointly devise a strategy which  gives him the clarity on milestones required to  reach the goal.

4) Make sure to guide and support when he faults  and nurture his skill sets further more.

During my early days within the company, I created a documentation system to document my learning paths, what software I used, what processes I followed, and what training I took or wished to take at an early stage and gathered it all into one full document to be shared to all new employees. Once you get the path/system down in concise manner then your communication with your colleague will be primarily on coaching which is more about the personal and the human element. 

While mentoring we must take care that our advice and suggestions must give them positive restult. We must always try to encourage their spirit with positive advices.

I usually ask them what area he/she needs help and if i can be of help to them i make sure that they feel comfortable and showing that  we can enjoy learning new things together.