performance | Peter Fletcher

A great mentor will guide you over the toughest terrain.

If you’ve ever had a great mentor you’ll know they’re worth their weight in gold. In equal parts they can be your accountant, financial adviser, life coach and best friend. Here, then, are six characteristics that define a truly great mentor.

1. They’re a tough taskmaster

Great mentors expect people to deliver. They demand the highest standards and won’t accept compromise. They expect both short term and long term success. At times they can be tough but sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed to get you performing at your peak.

2. They demand clarity

A great mentor will demand that you reveal your motives. They’ll expect you to explain and be clear about what’s driving you, your goals and your morals. They’ll keep asking questions and prodding for answers until you’re crystal clear about your what and your why.

3. They expect you to take risks

Mentors won’t let you take the easy path. They want you to step onto the edge, to take a risk, to attempt something daring. And they do that because they know that you’ve got more in you than you’re delivering right now.

4. They encourage us to become lifelong students

Great mentors never stop learning. They love it themselves and they instil that love in others. With a mentor’s guidance you’ll read more, attend more courses and seminars and listen to others more closely.

5. They’re a guide

A good mentor will show you the way, after all the risks you’re about to undertake are untrodden ground. They’ll talk you through the terrain that requires technical skill, they’ll tell you when you need to make an extra special effort and they’ll inspire you to do more when all you want to do is stop.

6. They’ll cheer you on

Let’s face it, running a business can get tough and sometimes you need someone who can lift you up and cheer you on. A true mentor will do that, especially in those dark moments when you need to hear a voice of encouragement.

Have you had a great mentor? What characteristic stood out for you?

Image credit: Adam Kubalica on Flickr

Top sales people share 9 traits. Waiting for customers to show up isn’t one of them. Image: City of Boston Archives http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofbostonarchives/

Have you ever wondered why some sales people seem to effortlessly outperform their peers month-in-month-out?

Well, research conducted on sales people from a group of mid-sized companies in the US has found that top sales people shared the following nine traits.

They see themselves as equals with their customers. Their role is to solve the customer’s problem. They show them respect, but never deference.
They’re comfortable talking about money. For them, money is an expression of value, not something that’s out of their control.
They’re comfortable with silence and use it as a way to allow the customer time to process information and seek clarification. Silence is as much an expression of their confidence as what they say.
They challenge the decision maker if they make a material mis-statement of fact. That takes faith and confidence in their product and their research.
They’re well prepared. They turn up with a pre-agreed agenda, with the necessary research at hand, and well rehearsed presentation.
They don’t rush. They move slowly and deliberately.
They ask great questions. These questions are primarily focussed on what something means rather than what it is.
The follow up really well.
They’re good at all the above, not just their favourite. In other words they work constantly on improving themselves.

6 characteristics of great mentors

1. They’re a tough taskmaster

2. They demand clarity

3. They expect you to take risks

4. They encourage us to become lifelong students

5. They’re a guide

6. They’ll cheer you on

9 traits of great sales people

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