Five Ways To Make The Most Of Your Role as Mentor

Recently, I shared four common questions mentors ask when preparing to launch women’s mentoring groups. Today, I’d like to share some best practices and helpful ideas as you invest in your mentees. None of these are “required,” but all will go a long way in helping you create a safe and welcoming environment where women can foster authentic relationships with each other and with Jesus.

PRAY FOR YOUR MENTEES

Pray specifically for the women in your mentoring group throughout the year. It will help you open your heart to them and recognize their needs. After your one-on-ones, take some notes about specific ways you can pray for them. If you’re feeling ambitious, take out your calendar and schedule days of prayer for each mentee for the entire mentoring season.

Pro Tip: Share this practice with your mentees. Assign specific prayer requests mentioned in your monthly meeting to each person so that one mentee is intentionally lifting up the prayer request of another.

LEARN FROM OTHER MENTORS

Leading a mentoring group can come with a learning curve, especially at first. Engage with other mentors as an intentional part of your mentoring plan. It’s a great way to build community, learn from others, and discover tried-and-true tips you can incorporate into your leadership style.

Pro Tip: If you’re mentoring on your own and don’t have a community of mentors around you, keep an eye out for invites to one of our online mentor gatherings. Our next event is September 15 with author and pastor Scott Sauls on his latest book, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen. You can get all the details and grab your spot here!

SEND HANDWRITTEN NOTES

Everyone desires to be known, heard, and to feel like they matter. Take time during your mentoring season to send a handwritten note to each mentee. In a world where email and text messages often take precedence, handwritten notes let your mentees know how much they matter to you and your group.

Pro Tip: Send a note after your one-on-one meeting with your mentees. Make sure to reference something specific from your conversation or a prayer request you are praying for them. Being intentional with your mentees in this way helps build authentic community.

SCHEDULE A SOCIAL FOR YOUR GROUP

Put a social event on your group calendar at the beginning of your mentoring season. It doesn’t need to be extravagant, just something to create space for your mentees to build community. These small relational investments go a long way toward building authentic relationships and remind your mentees that you are invested in their lives for more than just once a month. (If you’re not currently leading a group, reach out to a previous group and continue investing in those relationships).

Pro Tip: This is an excellent opportunity for you to delegate. Find a mentee or two who are great at rallying the troops; they’re often the outgoing ones. Ask if they could own this task for the season. It doesn’t have to be fancy; a simple meetup for coffee or a meal works great. Don’t put too many parameters around the ask. Your goal is to hand it off, so someone else feels like they have ownership in the group, and you have one less thing on your plate.

CREATE A BOOK BOX FOR YOUR MENTEES

Your mentees will read 9-12 books throughout the mentoring season. It can feel daunting, so one way to make it more fun and accessible is to create a book box for each mentee with the books they will read. This can also be helpful for these mentees who may need a little more time to read. Let them know the total cost before the group starts, and then give each of them a box of books at your First Meeting. They will be well prepared for a fantastic mentoring season with you!

Pro Tip: Some mentees may prefer audiobooks, so be sure to ask about that first. And then, if you want to include a little welcome treat in the book box, not only can that be a fun addition, but you can still give that to any audiobook readers, ensuring they feel involved too. Something like a journal, an interesting snack, or a picture frame that can hold a group photo.

This is not an exhaustive list, but all these best practices can help you go above and beyond in helping the women in your group discover who God created them to be, and build relationships where they are seen, known, and heard.