三大特质成就优秀导师

拥有导师是职业生涯最宝贵的财富之一，成为导师也是件很有意义的事。如果导师和学生都希望从这段经历中有所收获，请一定要记住：这段师生关系不仅仅包括职业建议。如果有人请你做导师，对方真正想问的是：你会不会支持我，积极帮助我成长，帮我成功？导生希望有人能信任他们，愿意为他们在职业上获得成功真正投入心血。许多人把师生之间的情谊描述得很抽象，但对我而言，做导师就像在做一个项目，成果是看得见摸得着的，目标就是导生的成功。

我指导过各类水平的导生，职业生涯中也有幸得到一些聪明绝顶又十分慷慨的人指教。我认为，最出色的导师都拥有以下三种特质：

有聆听的技巧

谁都可以跟别人坐在一起聊聊工作，但如果没有掌握聆听的技巧，谈下来对导生也不会有多大帮助。优秀的导师不仅会花时间倾听，还会注意与导生互动，找出他们前进中的阻力，进一步了解导生对个人远期规划、近期目标、对当前的职业有多少热情、这份工作是否适合成为终生职业。他们有什么突出的才华？又有哪些局限？导师应该从言语之间体会出对方没有说出口的心思。倘若不能努力深入了解导生，导师永远无法提供真正有效的支持。导师首先需要做听众，而不是当主讲。

懂得学生想问什么

还有一点至关重要，就是导师要领会学生希望从这段师生关系中获得什么。为什么某人找你当导师？对方希望你有什么能拿出手的本事，尤其是有什么能帮到他的本事？对导生和他们的目标有个大致了解，才能弄清如何帮助他们成长。如果他们的请求不明确，一定要让他们描述清楚。在指导学生从新的角度看待事物时，导师的理解力是最重要的。

这样一来，当导生带着职业中某些问题来找你时，凭借对他们的强项和弱点的深刻了解，你能瞬间明白他们为何向你求助，并能很快指导他们找出新方向，尝试新的解决方法，或者另辟蹊径找出新方案。

采取行动

聆听和分享知识是所有师生关系中的重要环节，不过，真正优秀导师的特别之处在于，他们会愿意为导生切实做事。一位好的导师应该相信导生，从而愿意为他们担风险。具体来说包括将导生介绍给可能有助于他们职业发展的人；导生对某家公司有意时，帮着把简历转发给那家公司里的熟人；带导生参加会议，或帮他们报名一同参会；建议他们参加某些可能对职业经历有益的会议或项目。站在导生的角度找可行机会，再积极想办法牵线搭桥，能做到这样就是真正用心提携后辈的好导师。

如果能做到上面说的几点，这段师生关系对学生来说就是无价之宝，导师也会很有成就感。不过，导师和导生都应该铭记，没有导师能时时刻刻方方面面地帮助学生。所以导生应该有多名导师，每位各有专长，能帮助学生应对不同的目标或者挑战。有些导师可能善于提供升职方面的策略性建议，还有些导师擅长帮助学生在工作与生活之间保持平衡。作为学生，首先应该确定自己的需求，然后和该领域的精英建立师生关系。无论年纪长幼，也不管职位高低，寻找导师接受指导都有必要。不管你在职业中的哪个阶段，找一些可以信赖的导师，从多方面的提取意见都是大有裨益的。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

校对：夏林

The Fortune 500 Insider Network is an online community where top executives from the Fortune 500 share ideas and offer leadership advice with Fortune’s global audience. Val DiFebo, CEO of Deutsch New York, has answered the question: What are three qualities that make a good mentor?

While having a mentor is one of the most valuable things you can do in your career, being one can also be a hugely rewarding experience. To get the most out of it, both for you and your mentee, it’s important to remember that mentorship involves more than just giving career advice. When someone asks you to be their mentor, what they’re really asking is: Will you champion me and actively help me grow and succeed? Mentees want someone to believe in them and be willing to make a personal investment in their professional success. Though many people think of it in more abstract terms, to me, being a mentor is a project with tangible results: the success of your mentee.

As someone who has mentored people at all levelsand had the good fortune of being mentored by some incredibly smart and generous people during the course of my career, I feel these are the three qualities the best mentors consistently possess:

Listening skills

Anyone can sit and chat with someone about a job. But without real listening skills, that conversation won’t be very helpful to your mentee. Good mentorstake the time to listen to and engage with their mentees. Find out what makes them tick. Dig deeper to find out where the mentees see themselves in the future, what their more immediate goals are, how their passions align with their careers, and how their jobs fit into the rest of their lives. What are their talents? What are their limitations? Read between the lines to identify what they haven’t shared. Without making a concerted effort to get a full picture of your mentee, you can never be a truly effective mentor. And that begins with listening, not talking.

Understanding the ask

It’s critically important to understand what your mentee is hoping to get out of the relationship. Why does this individual want you as their mentor? What are they hoping you can bring to the table and how, specifically, can you be an asset to them? Forming a foundational understanding of your mentee and their goals is key in discerning your role in their development. If they aren’t clearly framing up their ask to you, make sure you push them to define it. This understanding is most valuable when guiding them toward new perspectives.

While your mentee may come to you with questions about one facet of their career, your intimate knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses coupled with a crystal–clear understanding of how they are looking to you for help will enable you to guide them in a new direction, consider a different solution, or spark an idea that would never have occurred to them.

Taking action

Listening and sharing knowledge are important facets of any mentoring relationship, but what sets really great mentors apart is their willingness to actually do things for their mentees. Good mentors should believe in their mentees enough to take risks for them. That means introducing them to peoplewho could be helpful to their careers, passing on their resumes to your contact at a company they’re interested in, letting them shadow or attend meetings with you, or pointing them toward a conference or program that could enrich their careers. Keeping an eye out for tangible opportunities that you can initiate on behalf of your mentees, and then taking action to connect them, is the truest sign of a dedicated, valuable mentor.

When all of these qualities come together, a mentoring relationship becomes incredibly valuable for the mentee and personally rewarding for the mentor. Those on both sides of the mentoring relationship should remember, however, that no mentor can be all things at all times to a mentee. It’s important to build a roster of mentors, each of who are specially equipped to help with a different goal or challenge. Some mentors might be great at giving strategic advice for climbing the ranks, while others excel at helping balance work and life. Identify your needs, then seek out a relationship with those whoseem to be excelling in that area. You’re never too old or important to be mentored. Having a trusted, well–rounded team to turn to for perspective is valuable at any stage of a career.