Mentoring – MindNation Blog

A mentor is an experienced or trusted advisor who provides their mentee with the tools, guidance, support, and feedback they need to thrive in their career. A good mentor enhances an employee’s skills, cultivates leaders who can help the company further advance, and drives positive company culture.

If you want to develop an effective mentoring program in your organization, partner with a mental health and well-being provider to avail of services that build happier, healthier, more empathic teams. Visit www.mindnation.com or email [email protected] to know more about our CareNow Plan© for teams.

Good mentors come in all ages, genders, and even educational attainments. “You can be a good mentor as long as you are dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned in to a mentee’s needs,” says career and business advisor Grace De Castro of V+A Consulting, a boutique consulting firm with expertise in customized people programs and creative business solutions.

It is not just a mentee who benefits from the guidance of a good mentor; mentors themselves experience the satisfaction that comes from giving back and having a sense of belonging. “A mentor can find a lot of growth if they are in a group that is supportive and safe, in a community that makes them feel heard and values their life experiences,” shares Grace.

Mentors themselves experience the satisfaction that comes from giving back and having a sense of belonging.
Grace De Castro of V+A Consulting

If you feel you are ready to take on the role of nurturing someone’s career growth, here are the qualities that you need to be a good mentor:

Optimism. A good mentor constantly uplifts their mentee. “Make the person feel that you believe in their potential, that you hear them, and are willing to listen to them,” says Grace.
Teachability. While there are courses and certificate programs for aspiring mentors, these are not requirements to be good in the role. “There are many things you can do on your own to learn to be a good mentor, such as following thought leaders and statesmen on social media so you learn about different perspectives,” advises Grace. “And read! There are so many books that can help you become a better mentor, and don’t limit yourself to non-fiction, self-help, or personal development books. Fiction gives you a different view of how people are and can be great conversation starters. Lastly, immerse yourself with what’s happening outside; have a genuine interest in others.”
An open mind. “A good mentor always comes prepared to be surprised,” advises Grace. “We are all human, which means that most of the time there are deep-seated reasons for mentoring that involve personal issues. So I always make sure I provide a safe space for my mentees if they want to talk to me about deeper matters.”
A real desire to help but no desire to control the outcome. “Sometimes, people don’t necessarily need advice from a mentor; they just need someone to listen to them,” says Grace. “And when you provide a safe space for people to use you as a sounding board, you end up improving more than just careers.”
Trust. A good mentor never gossips about their clients. “I have lost potential clients because they want to know who else I am working with but I value confidentiality,” says Grace. “A good mentor-mentee relationship involves a trust component that both work very hard to strengthen over time.”

In a previous post, we discussed how financial stress can affect an employee’s mental health and productivity at work. As a leader, one of the ways you can help your team members maintain good financial footing and achieve better well-being is to normalize talking about financial health.

But because financial problems are extremely personal matters, they must be addressed carefully. According to a report by Canadian multinational insurance company and financial services provider Manulife, feelings of shame and embarrassment make it difficult for people to reveal money issues.

To remove the stigma facing financial conversations, Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance, a boutique financial planning firm committed to empowering Filipino women, shares some ways you can approach the topic with your team members without seeming too intrusive or judgmental.

Make sure you are giving your employees the right wages and government benefits. “The first step to ensuring that your employees have good financial health is making sure they receive what is rightfully due to them,” Mariel reminds.
Regularly hold company-wide activities that actively promote or raise awareness about financial well-being. “If you are holding mental health awareness activities, why not have a Financial Awareness Week or even a Financial Health Month?” Mariel asks. “If your Human Resources Department is not equipped to facilitate finance-related activities, you can opt to invite experts to come and give talks about personal finance or smart investments.” Sessions like these usually lead participants to comfortably discuss their learnings with their peers afterwards and break the stigma about financial health. MindNation conducts virtual trainings to help employees take charge of their personal finances and make smart money decisions. Sessions are facilitated by licensed financial planners and financial health advocates. To book this talk for your organization, email [email protected].
Include the topic in performance reviews or regular one-on-ones. Just like how you should frequently check-in on your team member’s physical and mental health, it’s important to do a financial health check as well. “Push through the embarrassment and have a frank talk about wages and expected bonuses or salary increases. Knowing this information can even incentivize employees to perform better at work,” Mariel points out.

Just like how you should frequently check-in on your team member’s physical and mental health, it’s important to do a financial health check as well.
Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance

4. Have an open-door policy. “Make your employees feel that they can come to you anytime if they need advice or discuss anything related to money struggles,” shares Mariel. “This way they feel safe instead of being scared to bring up concerns about their salary or benefits.”

5. And when concerns do arise, be honest and transparent. In case an employee asks for something more than you can give, i.e. a salary increase or a promotion, Mariel advises that you stick to the facts and not let emotions get in the way. Instead of saying something like ‘We’re all affected by this pandemic, don’t ask for a raise,’ present to them the company rules or policies involving raises and promotions. “Has the employee done something to merit a salary increase?” Mariel says. “Make it transparent so that expectations are clear and you do not give false hope.”

Now, if the said employee comes back to you with a list of all their achievements but the company is really in a tight financial spot, be honest. “Apologize, explain the situation, and graciously tell the employee that you will not take it against them if they decide to look for opportunities elsewhere,” Mariel suggests. This way, there are no hard feelings on both sides.

By normalizing the conversation about financial health, you encourage your employees to talk more openly about their financial needs, share ideas and best practices, and make them more compelled to work on their financial wellbeing. Download our free Achieving Financial Wellbeing toolkit https://bit.ly/MN_financialtoolkit to learn how else you can help your employees increase their financial health, meet their short-term and long-term financial goals, and balance today’s challenges with tomorrow’s needs.