Mentor: Guru in professional world

‘Guru bina gat nhi’ is an ancient proverb that means there is no progress without a guru.

In a spiritual sense, guru means the one who "dispels ignorance, the one who guides us to wisdom and knowledge.

Guru has a different meaning to different people. For some guru is a figure to worship and whose teachings need to be followed, is the one who helps in the realization of one's self and for some a teacher who guides a student’s spiritual development.

Is the concept of guru limited to only spiritual self and educational institutions? No

But what does it mean to be a guru? We only look at a guru from a spiritual perspective and not secular.

“When there is too much confusion surrender to the guru”, Ok that might work for our spiritual self but what happens when we are in the middle of a crisis in a project, these wise words don’t apply then, do they?

So, the question is do we need a guru for our professional growth, well yes.

Just like we need directions in an unknown territory, for that too we have GPS and it also shows more than one route for a destination. Similarly, a guru guides us towards knowledge and a mentor guides us towards our goal but what path to take one has to decide themselves.

Guru can be a teacher, a guide, a coach, an instructor, a tutor, a counselor, an expert or master of a certain field, or a mentor.

Just like one needs a coach to learn sports be it football, cricket, or tennis, or an instructor who teaches you to swim or drive a car.

But who do we consider to be a mentor? Is it our direct manager or the manager above him or our colleagues?

A mentor directs, guides, and influences the professional growth of a mentee.

Generally, in our professional setting mentors are senior employees mentoring junior employees but is this the case always?

A person who is perceived to have a greater relevant knowledge and experience in the respective field can be a mentor.

But does that mean a child who has knowledge & experience in playing video games can be a mentor to an adult who has none? Umm, that’s something to discuss.

Given how important mentoring is, there is surprisingly limited guidance about how to become a good mentor.

Here are some tips:

 Communication: Mentoring is not a one-sided conversation but an open dialogue. Asking questions and more questions which will help the mentor understand what the mentee is looking to achieve, thoughts and concerns. ’A relationship without communication is just two people’.

 Good listener: One should listen as much as possible to understand mentees’ challenges, goals and feelings so that you can engage with them and encourage them. ‘A lot of best communication comes from listening’

 Practice empathy: Empathy is one of the most significant character traits of a good mentor. Everyone cannot progress at the same rate and it might be challenging for the mentee to grasp everything quickly. Find the best approach in guiding them. ‘We rise by lifting others’.

 Choosing mentees carefully: Mentees should be curious, organized, efficient, responsible, and engaged. You might ask a prospective mentee to join you in meetings, help you out with presentations and observe. One can check for the level of interest, communication skills, intellectual skills, and commitment level of the mentee. ’People inspire you or they drain you, choose wisely’.

 Constructive feedback: Feedback is not pointing out something wrong in someone or their way of working but it is about guiding mentees to fix some mistakes and letting them know their improvement areas. Feedback is effective if it is done constructively. ’Feedback is helpful and constructive; criticism is hurtful and damaging’.

In the end, it is not about making mentees more like you but to make them a better version of themselves professionally.