The people that are best at developing others are usually aware of what they bring to the relationship. You may be very conscious of this role and very intentional in how you work with others. But, if you could benefit from some work in this area, here are some questions to consider. (These are also useful if you are trying to get one of your direct reports to be more successful at developing their reports.)

These questions use supervisor and mentor interchangeably, and these are different roles. However, this assessment will be useful as a reflection exercise for either role.

1. Think about the best supervisor/mentor relationship you have had. What were three or four characteristics that made this relationship work for you?

2. Were there things that this supervisor/mentor could have been better at from your perspective now?

3. How do you see the differences between being a supervisor and being a mentor? Where are they consistent with each other and where do they conflict?

4. What is the most challenging situation you have ever faced as a supervisor or mentor? Are there things that could have helped you avoid this situation or be better in your response?

5. What things do you wish you had learned, appreciated ,or paid more attention to earlier in your career?

Improving your self-knowledge

1. What are the three or four things that are most important to a successful development or mentoring relationship?

2. What attributes or actions can detract from a good development process.?

3. What are my strengths as a supervisor/mentor?

4. What improvements might I make in how I go about developing others? This might be using a strength a bit more, changing an approach that could be improved, or altering an attitude about supervising, developing, or working with others.