Mentoring is fundamental to being a successful leader. That, in my opinion, is unequivocal!

I have witnessed far too many leaders who do not invest time and energy – and you need both – in mentoring.

It is seen as the “soft stuff”, the “fluffy bits” and not critical. I beg to disagree.

If you do not mentor, then you will not light the fires in the people you are meant to be leading, and they – and you! – will be the lesser for it.

Oprah Winfrey said it brilliantly: “ A mentor is someone who allows you to see the light inside yourself”

You will not help anyone just by “managing them”. Yes, managing them will get things done because that is the job. But mentoring your people will lift performance to a different level.

Mentoring will facilitate the burning of that flame that drives us to excel beyond expectation. If you achieve that with your people – you are a leader, my friend!

So, what are the 6 musts of mentoring?

1) Take your own advice:

Very simply – get one of your own! If you are engaged with someone as a mentor, but don’t have one yourself, then what does that say? A mentor does not have to be an aged sage, bent over with experience and knowledge! The experience and knowledge is great to have but your mentor can be a member of your peer group who will listen objectively.

Read the rest here: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/be-great-mentor-leader/