Mentoring [12.03.2013]
Good mentoring requires more than one think. There are so many stages a mentor or mentee can or have to approach in order to be successful. Lesa Engelthaler wrote in her article Good Mentoring that people rejects the idea of mentoring is due to the fact that they don’t have the time to mentor others. No time is the number one reason as to why Christian leaders don’t take on the role of being a mentor. What most leaders do not know is that when he or she mentors someone they are actually building stronger relationships. Not only are they creating relationships but also he or she is showing love and possibly creating more mentors and leaders. What most leaders need to understand is that you have to make time even when there is no time. It’s like saying you don’t have time for God and His Kingdom because you are so worried what you need to accomplish and about your own-selfishness.
The Article Four Stages of Mentoring success by Kent Shaffer provided four stages that will make a person’s mentoring successful and effective. The first one is potential. Look for someone whom has potential; don’t forget to take in consideration of those whom seem like less obvious candidates. You can also start with a set of requirements if you are oblivious on whom to choose or consider. Secondly, the person whom you see that has the potential should also be teachable. It is essential that he or she is a good learner. Thirdly, the person should be able to perform. The person must be a doer in the same way they are a learner; He or she needs to put what they have learned into practice. Lastly, the person must be able to handle the pressure as a solo leader. He or she needs to be sustainable and be able to learn more and perform. A mentor must always remember that there is room for improvement despite how experienced and wise they already are. When changing positions, learn how to duplicate your roles in order to grow a lasting ministry. There are three duplicate ways a mentor can approach in order to be successful: learn to duplicate yourself as a boss would, learn to duplicate yourself as a teacher would, and learn to duplicate yourself as a mentor would. A mentor should always share their knowledge with others and teach them so that they can apply it to his or her life to further the Gospel.
When seeking for advice from a mentor, the mentee should always be respectful and humble; make sure you choose someone whom is wise and puts God in the center of his or her work. A mentee can also become a mentor by applying the advice given from his or her mentor to their life. Mentoring others takes time but all your hard work will be well worth it. A mentor should always challenge his or her mentee as a form of discipline along with asking them questions. Challenging a person will definitely help a person manage their life better and be more open-minded to other things they may have rejected or have not seen. Mentoring is about accountability, encouraging, constructivism, and being open-minded.