Day 22 of my F.O.O.D. Advent Calendar is focusing on mentoring; a way to support and encourage your people to manage their own learning and achieve their potential, whatever their age. I’m using LEEKS a vegetable prized by ancient Greeks and Romans for their special attributes!

In any relationship listening is essential. However, when people are new to a role they may not want to admit to lack of knowledge or understanding. Listening with your eyes, ears and heart will help you spot any incongruencies

Take mentoring seriously by making time to do it. Be empathic of your mentee’s needs. Think back to what helped you most when you joined the company

Create the right environment to help the person integrate especially now that we’re working from home more frequently?

Learning critical business skills from others strengthens relationships across the organisation. What’s the best way to knowledge share whilst bringing their skills and expertise into play?

Getting a balance of support and challenge helps us everyone achieve their best. Too little support and too much challenge can be stressful, whereas too much support and too little challenge feels too parental

Previously, in #FOODSeries we looked at giving feedback, delegation and goal setting; techniques also handy for mentoring