7 Questions of Highly Effective Mentors

Every leader is also a mentor. By mentoring you grow the people you lead, and enable you and them to reach new heights 🚀.

How do you become an effective mentor? By asking questions!

I recently gave a lecture at the Leaders In Tech Conference: 7 Questions of Highly Effective Mentors. Here are the recordings: English Version, Hebrew Version.

It is based on a book I recommend to every mentor: The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier.

It talks about the following 7 questions that you should base your 1+1 around:
1. What’s on your mind?

2. And what else?

3. What’s the real challenge here for you?

4. What do you want?

5. How can I help?

6. If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?

7. What was most useful for you?

There is much more to each question, so please do take a look at the video, and/or read the book.

I wouldn’t go over the whole deck here, but if there is one takeaway that I find the most useful, it is: fight your advice monster. This means, instead of giving advice in reaction to every issue your mentee is raising, fight this urge, and instead ask him guiding questions. This way she can find their own answer, and also learn how to do it on their own.

I hope this will change the way you do your next 1+1 and how effective it is. Let me know in the comments if it did!

P.s. if the title reminds you the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People it’s not a mistake, it’s on purpose. I highly recommend this book, I believe it can have a huge effect on each and everyone’s life.