Potential mentors could be forgiven for wondering if they need to have been born with a mentoring gene.  If they convince themselves that is the case – they quite possibly may decide not to start on a mentoring journey. So we wanted to consider if mentors are born or bred.

There have been a number of studies on this topic. Tammy D. Allen PhD, a Distinguished University Professor at the University of South Florida, published her work in 2003, which highlighted that personality traits like empathy and a natural desire to help are linked to a higher willingness to mentor.

A further study was by a team of highly respected academics from McGill University, often referred to as the Harvard of Canada, and globally renowned for its high academic standards, elite medical and life sciences programmes, and intense research innovation.  This team – Dr Michelle Elizov, Associate Professor of Medicine, Dr Miriam Boillat, Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Dr Peter J. McLeod who received a national award for shaping medical education, published an article in 2014 entitled “Are mentors born or made?”, in which they explored whether mentorship is an innate ability or a developed skill.

Their findings demonstrated that mentoring is a learned skill and not innate.  They assert that effective mentoring requires development rather than instinct.  They highlighted that successful mentoring is linked to trained skills, including active listening, effective communication, and emotional intelligence.  They also identified a number of behaviours which enable good mentoring, including empathy, providing verbal encouragement and fostering autonomy in the mentee.  The academics set out that whilst an individual may have a natural ability to connect, training and conscious development will enable the individual to become an effective mentor.

Complementary research findings came from Christine Pfund PhD, who is a distinguished senior scientist at the Wisconsin Centre for Education Research and the Institute for Clinical & Translational Research at the University of Winconsin-Madison.  Working with her colleagues between 2013 and 2016, she looked at “Entering Mentoring” and “Mentoring the Mentor”.  This research demonstrated that designated mentorship training improves competencies in areas like communication, diversity, and alignment of expectations, regardless of innate ability.

With the following skills being important to be an effective mentor, it is clear that whilst innate ability and behaviours are helpful, the mentor can improve their craft by developing their skills:

• Actively listening – when the mentor listens well, they demonstrate that the mentee’s concerns have been heard and understood. This enables the relationship to grow and for trust to build.
• Building Trust – trust develops over time, to help this the mentor should keep confidences, deliver on their promises and explain sensitively why they disagree with a mentee’s view.
• Encouraging – Linda Phillips-Jones PhD, a licensed psychologist, consultant, researcher, and author identified that the most valued mentoring skill is giving encouragement.
• Identifying Goals – goal setting is essential as part of a mentoring journey. The mentor should help the mentee identify their personal vision and specific goals.
• Instructing/Developing Capabilities – a mentor will help the mentee identify resources, gain a broader perspective and monitor their performance, refocusing their goals and actions.
• Inspiring – a mentor should set an example to inspire the mentee, but also help the mentee identify other inspiration people and situations.
• Providing Corrective Feedback – when the mentor sees the mentee making mistakes or performing in less than desirable ways, they should provide direct and constructive feedback.
• Managing Risks – one of a mentor’s roles is to prevent the mentee from making unnecessary mistakes, helping the mentee recognise risks and suggest how they can avoid major risks in terms of business, their career, financial, personal and relationships
• Opening Doors – when mentors vouch for mentees, the mentee’s work is much more likely to be well-received – this is human nature.

If you feel you are ready to step up and develop your skills as a mentor, why not sign up to our mentoring program? Our mentoring programme provides you with a host of resources to guide and support you as you develop your mentoring skills.