Mentoring Future Leaders

Mentoring Future Leaders
• The protégé ceases to identify with the mentor, being well aware of
the mentor’s strengths and weaknesses. He/she might even become
hyper critical of the mentor, like a teenager leaving home!
• The separation sometimes brings about hostility and resentment
between the two parties. The protégé tends to behave aggressively
to escape from former feelings of dependency, while the mentor
might feel somewhat rejected, not being needed any longer.
• The protégé finds a new, independent identity.
• Contact becomes informal, less frequent and less intimate.
• Manage this phase in a mature way, otherwise it can harm the
reputations of both parties.
© Learning Link International
April 2005
Non-directive Mentoring Skills
The following non-directive skills are covered:
• Asking open-ended questions to raise awareness
• Repeating, summarising and
paraphrasing
• Reflecting feelings
• Active listening
• Undivided attention and focus
• Silence
• Reassurance
Asking Open-ended Questions to Raise
Awareness
Open questions which facilitate the flow of communication and encourage
the speaker to elaborate or be more specific. Closed questions on the
other hand tend to shut communication down. Closed questions are those
that can be answered with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. For example: “Did you …” “Do
you think that …” “Are you going to …?” The latter are useful for seeking
factual information.
Module 4 - Mentoring Skills Page ! 1