4 Ways To Cultivate A Mentoring Relationship

Mentoring is huge! Most of the 20 somethings I know are craving a mentor! Here are four ways Paul cultivated leadership in Timothy.

• Start with a relationship.

If you are waiting for someone to come and ask all the right questions you will never get to teach. Make the first move. Pickup the phone. Invite them to lunch. Invite them to shadow you. Let the conversation develop naturally.

• Share your observations.

Observations are disarming. For instance: I have noticed that my relationships with others rises and falls on my relationship with God.

• Share your mistakes and lessons learned.

You don't have to share all the gross details. In broad strokes share your thoughts, decisions, and resulting consequences. Wrap the story up by explaining your new point of view. Help them see this experience was costly.

• Encourage their strengths.

Look for areas of excellence in them. Where do they effortlessly excell? What do they do great? Encourage them to work hard in the areas they are already good. We can be mediocre by working hard on our weaknesses or we can be world class by working hard at our strengths. Don't fall into the trap of always pointing out their weaknesses. Help maximize their strengths because that will be their best return on investment.

These are all from 1 Tim Chapter 1. I encourage you to read it. See how Paul skillfully mentors Timothy using these 4 tools. What tools do you use to cultivate mentoring relationships?