The word mentor originated from Homer’s Odyssey thousands of years ago. Today, the word mentor has evolved to mean a trusted friend, savvy advisor, excellent teacher, and wise person. As an alumnus of CEIBS and part of the CEIBS mentoring programme, we are confident that you will exceed these standards as a mentor to our MBA students.
?
Purpose of CEIBS Mentoring Programme
The CEIBS Mentoring Programme is designed to provide current MBA students with valuable advice beyond the classroom in order to help them grow and develop as a business professional. As a mentor, you will impart valuable knowledge, offer guidance, share experiences, and suggest ways the student can develop. The Mentoring Programme will be integrated with a required academic course - the “MBA Leadership Journey” - in order to integrate classroom learning with practical experiences from the field.
Prof. Emily David's 10 Tips for Being a Good Mentor
1. Even if it seems awkward to be so direct, use the very first meeting to outline your expectations of each other and how you will work together. Define acceptable conversation topics, behaviors, and, most importantly, what you both hope to get out of the partnership.
2. Give your mentee specific times that he or she can contact you as well as acceptable modes (e.g., email, WeChat, phone calls).
3. Set ground rules for meetings. Good practices are to (a) go in with a predetermined agenda or topic, (b) agree to both give your undivided attention while together, and (c) give them developmental next steps or action plans to work on after the meeting is over. more << 4. Don't shy away from constructive criticism. If you are simply a sounding board or a cheerleader, they won't learn as much from your time together. Be honest with them.
5. Value the ways you are different from your mentee and use it as a chance to grow and learn yourself. Ask questions to increase your understanding.
6. Identify the ways you are similar to your mentee. Use these as a basis to build trust and rapport.
7. Share your resources with your mentee. These can be anything from introductions to valuable network contacts to practical tools that help you to be more efficient or creative.
8. Understand that everyone likes to give and receive praise in different ways. Similarly, your mentee may demonstrate how thankful they are by a smile or kind gesture rather than words (or vice versa).
9. The job of a mentor is not to be a sage who spouts one-way wisdom or a judge who dictates which behaviors are universally right or wrong. Think of yourself more as a coach: listen carefully to the issues and context before suggesting things that may help.
10. Don't forget to have fun! Laughter helps to build trust and can be a resource in itself to dissolve work tension.
Prof. Emily David's 10 Tips for Being a Good Mentor