5 Easy Ways to Become

a Successful Mentor

Career Advice Provided By:

The 5 Step Process

1. Understand the Critical Factors

2. Be Effective and Efficient

3. Set Goals with Mentee

4. Define Action Steps with Mentee

5. Have Your Own Mentor

• As a mentor, you can’t be all things to all people. You can effectively mentor in a hand-full of areas at any one point in your career. You must start by being honest with yourself in evaluating your experience, knowledge, strengths and weaknesses.

• Define the areas in which you are comfortable mentoring. Don’t let your ego interfere by trying to provide advice in areas you are not experienced or fully developed yourself.

• Only mentor tax professionals that need help in the areas you’ve defined as your strengths. If someone requests you as a Mentor and you know it’s not the best fit, decline and explain why. Don’t let your ego overrule your better judgment of which Mentee is a good match for you.

Critical Factors of Mentoring

• Have effective listening and feedback skills. This will save both of you time and frustration. Being able to listen deeply and offer feedback for clarification is basic to getting your job done as a Mentor.

• Be aware of the fact personal as well as career goals. If you don’t pay attention to the personal side of your Mentee’s life, you could spend valuable time on career goal setting only to find out there are personal issues that supersede any career considerations.

Be Effective and Efficient• If you find out after you’re into the

relationship that it’s not a good match, stop the process. Have a frank conversation with the Mentee and recommend that he or she find a different Mentor.

• Control the relationship. You are giving your time for someone else so you have the right to control it. This requires a discussion on the front end so you and your mentee will have the same expectations going forward.

• Be specific and challenge your mentee. Are their goals in alignment with their strengths? Do the goals set require additional training and development of the mentee?

• Set realistic goals. If your mentee wants to be head of tax planning within two years at his/her current company but there is another person in line who has a more experience and stronger credentials, your mentee must consider whether this is a realistic goal or not. You as a mentor should insist that your mentee be realistic about their life situation as it relates to career goals as is relates to their experience.

• Confirm with Mentee that his/her stakeholders’ input has been considered. If, for example, the mentee has not received positive feedback about moving out of tax into another area of the company, a goal such as this might be unattainable with the current employer. If your mentee has what it takes to move from tax to a broader business role, this goal might be more attainable at another organization. Again, this type of analysis requires being realistic about all factors involved.

Set Goals With Your Mentee

• As always, the devil’s in the detail. Having lofty goals without a specific, plan is nothing more than a pipe dream. You and your mentee will have to roll up your selves, sharpen your pencils and define action steps that will lead to fulfillment of the goal.

• Make each action step measurable. Define how the success of each action step will be measured and in what timeframe. We all know the difference in doing a task where we have a deadline vs. no deadline. Mentoring should not be a laissez faire relationship but one built on specific expectations and accountability.

• Hold your mentee accountable. They should understand that you are giving your valuable time and energy and you expect them to be fully engaged. Do your part by making sure you meet with your mentee at the defined time for completion and evaluation of each action step.

Define Action Steps with Mentee

Have Your Own Mentor• Understanding yourself and your deficits will be the best

indicator of where YOU need mentoring. You can determine this by listening to feedback from other key individuals connected with your career. Ask yourself what you would like to do but hold back because of inexperience or fear.

• Use your mentor to help you develop your own mentoring skills. If you your Mentor does not provide a good example, you may want to consider finding a mentor you can look up to as a role model. A mentor should set a higher standard.

Final Thoughts

• As you can see, a lot goes into mentoring. So, why do it? There are so many good reasons but most important, it’s an opportunity to give to others what you have gained during your career.

• Your decision to become a mentor will not go unnoticed by your employer. It can only serve as a plus in the eyes of those who are watching your potential and career development.

Click Here to Become Part of TaxTalent’s Mentor Program