"Mentoring brings us together – across generation, class, and often race – in a manner that forces us to acknowledge our interdependence, to appreciate, in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words, that ‘we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied to a single garment of destiny.’ In this way, mentoring enables us to participate in the essential but unfinished drama of reinventing community, while reaffirming that there is an important role for each of us in it", says Marc Freedman. Master Builders Omesh Jethwani discusses the characteristics of a great mentor

1. mentoring 97
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
Becoming A Great Mentor
Master Builders Omesh Jethwani discusses the characteristics of a great mentor.
“Mentoring brings us together – across
generation, class, and often race – in a
manner that forces us to acknowledge our
interdependence, to appreciate, in Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s words, that ‘we are caught in an
inescapable network of mutuality tied to a single
garment of destiny.’ In this way, mentoring
enables us to participate in the essential but
unfinished drama of reinventing community,
while reaffirming that there is an important role
for each of us in it”, says Marc Freedman.
Mentoring has been defined in several ways
but in simple terms it means supporting and
encouraging individuals to manage their learning
pathways, assisting them to maximise their
potential, help them develop their skills, improve
their performance and eventually become the
person they want to be. In reality it is all about
one person sharing their knowledge, skills and
experience to assist others to progress in their
own lives and careers.
One of the most popular questions I often
get asked is how does one become a great
mentor. In reality everything we know, we
learned from someone else. I was not fortunate
enough to have a male role model in my life
as a mentor. I had to turn to my teachers and
spiritual leaders to assist me to maximise my
potential and help me develop my skills. In the
last 10 years I have had great joy in mentoring
my apprentices and staff.
I am very passionate about using my experience
to help accelerate the growth of someone else.
It takes the pain out of some of the negative
consequences I have had to experience
because of poor judgment. I think to myself, “at
least he or she will not have to go through that”.
Here are 15 characteristics of a great mentor:
1. Be willing to play both roles. Learning is
the path of life and therefore we should
all be learning from others and teaching
others through our careers.
2. Value the diverse economic, cultural and
religious traits of your mentee.
3. Be a positive role model in both word
and deed. Set the bar for yourself just
as high or even higher than you would
expect from your mentee.
4. Be a good listener and not interrupt. Learn
to pick up important cues from what your
mentee is sharing with you. Always reflect
back the relevant issues and check with
your mentee if you understood, thereby
minimising assumptions.
Omesh Jethwani NSW State Manager and Jack Long Apprenticeship Mentoring Officer.
5. Be credible. You do not need to have all the
answers. The best answers for your mentee
will come from their own thinking, with the
help of your wisdom to support them.
6. Be willing to share your wisdom,
knowledge, skills and expertise in a neutral
way including your mistakes and failures.
7. Be slow to criticise and quick to
commend. Always play the advisor role
and never the preacher role.
8. Be reliable, honest, and trustworthy. Keep
things confidential. Never violate the code
of conduct or confidentiality code.
9. Have a positive outlook on life. This will
assist your mentee through tough times
especially if they are suffering from mental,
health or family issues.
10. Be genuinely concerned and empathic
about your mentees and their successes.
Invest yourself in your mentee and you will
be amazed at how much more you benefit
from the experience.
11. Be able to convey understanding of their
experience without saying ‘yes me too’
and launching into narratives of your own.
12. Be there when your mentee needs you.
Make the mentoring relationship a priority.
When your mentee calls, texts or emails you
with a request, respond in a timely manner.
13. Discuss with a teacher, counsellor or
the Master Builders CAMS Team if your
mentee has issues and problems that you
are unable to assist with.
14. Let them fall. As hard as it may be to
sit back and watch your mentee fall
sometimes they will learn from their failures
as well as from their successes.
15. Be there to pick up your mentee. Helping
them through a failed moment is one of
the greatest traits of the best mentors.
Mentoring relationships need to focus on the
individual being mentored. While mentoring
will provide a satisfying experience for you,
remember it is not about you but about the other
mentee. Accept a mentee for who they are and
help them her proceed at their own pace.
Through my experiences I believe mentoring
is so important for our next generation. For a
school leaver, starting an apprenticeship can be
quite a daunting experience especially on a large
work site with 50 different personalities. Knowing
that you have somebody with experience and
connections you can call on is a huge bonus and
a benefit that should never be underestimated.
The CAMS project is a nationally coordinated
approach to supporting apprentices in
the building and construction industry
delivered through Master Builders’ network
of 33 offices around Australia, including
major regional centres. CAMS is being
implemented by Master Builders around
Australia, with funding assistance from the
Department of Industry, Innovation, Science,
Research and Tertiary Education under the
Apprenticeship Mentoring Program.
By Omesh Jethwani, NSW State Manager
Apprenticeship Mentoring.