Throughout our lives, we may have a large number of people whom we think of as mentors. These might be members of our families offering guidance as we grow up, teachers and professors during our education, and professional mentors as we enter the workplace or look to expand our careers. All of these can potentially have a big impact on our lives, both personally and professionally. However, when seeking a new mentor to guide us into a new area of work it is important to consider what it is that makes a good mentor.
Skilled clinician
It goes without saying that being experienced or skilled in their field is an essential quality of a professional mentor. A mentor must be confident in their knowledge of their subject area, and able to draw on a career of diverse experiences and challenges. This will enable them to effectively guide you through any challenges you may come up against in your career, and throughout your educational journey.
Having built a successful career for themselves, a mentor should draw on their experiences to offer advice when it is most relevant and help you to carve out your own career path. This might mean advising you to follow in their footsteps or, conversely, advising you on opportunities to avoid that you may have otherwise jumped at.
Finally, a mentor who has been successful in their career should make use of the resources they have built up over time. Being resourceful is a fantastic characteristic of any mentor, enabling them to utilise their strong social ties and academic connections to help support you in your career journey. A skilled clinician will be able to help their mentee bridge the gap between theory and practice, by using their own experience and resources to give them an insight into the ‘real world’ of the dental profession.
Good teacher
However, being a skilled clinician is just part of what it takes to be a good mentor – they must also be a good teacher. Whilst this might sound obvious, this really means that a mentor must have the characteristics needed to offer mentoring that is effective and has lasting value. Traits like being a good listener and being understanding are key, as this will allow you to use them as a sounding board when faced with challenges in your work, enabling you to overcome them with the confidence you need.
A mentor must also be supportive of your career aims, helping you to construct a realistic ladder to help you meet your ambitions. This means taking into account your clinical ability, your network, and your level of education – enabling you to take on the right cases at the right time to help you meet your goals.
Further to this, like any good teacher, a mentor must provide thoughtful and constructive feedback about your work and your career progress. A good mentor will provide valuable insights which will enable you to learn from any mistakes and improve your work and career opportunities going forward.
Self-reflection
In addition to the above, your mentor must also be flexible and able to devote time to help you. This means enabling you to observe their cases and vice-versa to encourage self-reflection. Mentors should be transparent about how they feel about their own work and what they could do better, and encourage this in their mentees.
Honesty is a quality that one study found 84.6 per cent of students see as important, because it means that mentors will be honest with mentees about their strengths and weaknesses to enable them to grow and develop in their profession. This should always be in a non-judgemental and encouraging way to ensure mentees can confidently work to overcome them.
Find a mentor you can trust
When clinicians undertake courses with the ASHA Club, they receive ongoing mentorship from Selvaraj Balaji along with access to an exclusive WhatsApp support group – providing a safe space for delegates to work together and create a unique support and advice group. Selvaraj is a highly experienced and respected implant and cosmetic dentist who routinely mentors other clinicians using the latest skills and techniques taught on his courses.
A good mentor is the key to a successful career, so it is important to select a professional mentor carefully to ensure you receive the support, advice, and leadership you deserve.
References available on request.
For more information visit www.ashaclub.co.uk