Elo Mentoring - 7 skills to develop with mentoring in 2025

7 skills to develop with mentoring in 2025

Here are 7 skills employers are looking for – and how mentoring can help you acquire or further develop them!

Active listening

Active listening is an extremely relevant skill in business. It is an approach to communication that requires full attention and a genuine understanding of what the other person is saying. It involves avoiding focusing on the answer or on one’s own concerns and instead focusing on the feelings, needs and perspectives of the other person. Active listening is very useful in the workplace because it can improve communication, strengthen relationships, promote more informed decision making and increase job satisfaction. By actively listening, teamwork becomes more effective and meetings more productive. What’s more, active listening allows us to learn from others, which can make us more creative. This skill is highly sought after in the vast majority of positions, especially when it comes to management!

Especially as a mentor, active listening is a skill that is used in every meeting. The 80/20 rule is sometimes advocated, which means that the mentor spends 80% of the time listening and 20% talking. In this way, you will be called upon to question, rephrase, reflect your mentee’s feelings or simply be fully present.  Mentoring is therefore an excellent way to practice active listening. This is also true as a mentee, since it is an interpersonal relationship in which understanding the other is essential. 

Particularly as a mentor, active listening is a skill that is used in every encounter. The 80/20 rule is sometimes advocated, meaning that the mentor spends 80% of the time listening and 20% talking. In this way, you’ll be called upon to question, rephrase, reflect your mentee’s feelings or simply be fully present.

Active listening is an extremely relevant business skill. It’s an approach to communication that requires full attention and sincere understanding of what the other person is saying. It involves avoiding a focus on the answer to be given, or on one’s own concerns, and instead directing attention to the other person’s feelings, needs and perspectives.

Active listening is very useful at work, as it can improve communication, strengthen relationships, promote more informed decision-making and increase job satisfaction. By actively listening, teamwork becomes more effective, and meetings more productive. What’s more, active listening enables us to learn from others, which can make us more creative. This skill is highly sought-after in the vast majority of positions, especially management positions!

So mentoring is an excellent way to practice active listening. This also applies to you as a mentee, since it’s an interpersonal relationship in which understanding others is essential.

Leadership

Leadership is the art of guiding, inspiring and motivating others to achieve a common goal. This requires good communication skills, including the ability to convey one’s vision and goals and to build strong relationships. Other elements of leadership include flexibility and integrity.  This skill is always in demand in the workplace. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 66% of employers are looking for employees with leadership skills. Yet, these employers feel that only 33% of recent graduates meet their expectations in this area. Developing your leadership skills will set you apart from other candidates.

 

Mentoring, a source of leadership

Leadership in the workplace encompasses a set of skills and qualities that enable us to guide, motivate and influence others towards common goals. Effective leadership requires a constant commitment to one’s own workshop, and mentoring is one of the most effective ways of developing leadership skills.

Having an experienced mentor provides practical knowledge, sound advice and valuable guidance in developing your own leadership style…

Mentoring is often thought to benefit only the leadership development of mentees. However, mentoring is also a gas pedal of leadership skills for mentors. While mentees benefit from personalized support that fosters self-confidence, self-efficacy and the fulfillment of their professional potential, mentors continue to develop professionally through the posture and guidance required of them as mentors.

Decision Making

Being able to make decisions with complex consequences is a great asset in the job market. If you are inexperienced, or even if you are in a new environment, it can be difficult to know what to prioritize. Employers are looking for people who can make thoughtful choices that will move the company toward a positive outcome.

 

Mentoring as a tool to inform decisions

By listening to the opinions and ideas of others, you can make more informed and balanced decisions that take into account different perspectives.  If you are a mentor, you can learn from your mentees to renew the way you do things!

 

Curiosity

Curiosity comes with an open mind, a desire to learn and discover new things.  It is now essential in a fast-changing world where innovation and creativity are crucial to stand out. This skill will also allow you to succeed in an increasingly diverse professional world by facilitating the understanding of others’ perspectives and ideas. Exploring new ideas allows you to learn and grow as a person and as a professional; all of which makes you more attractive in the job market!

 

Curious about mentoring?

Give it a try! You will be able to meet all kinds of people, from different cultures and in different spheres. It is a perfect context to learn more about the world around you. 

 

Time and priority management

Being able to manage your own schedule and priorities is crucial, especially in a telecommuting environment. It is one of the most sought after soft skills by employers, and for good reason. By improving your time management and priority management, you’ll be more efficient, but you’ll also learn to communicate your limitations to your manager. 

 

Do you have a time management strategy in place?

If not, this is exactly the kind of topic you can discuss with your mentor! Even if you’ve been in the workforce for several years, it’s never too late to get mentoring from someone who can help you with your time management. Having good time management will improve your professional and personal life!

 

Taking care of yourself

Employers are more concerned than ever about the well-being of their employees. Many employers are using a variety of measures to improve employee well-being, and a mentoring program can be one of them! Taking care of yourself increases productivity. According to Forbes, “People who take care of themselves [and practice self-management] have better cognitive abilities. They are more focused.”

 

What better for the mind than mentoring?

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It involves recognizing emotional signals and understanding their impact on thoughts and actions. It also involves increasing one’s ability to manage them effectively to improve interpersonal relationships and work performance. Studies show that having good emotional intelligence is correlated with better job satisfaction, better performance and reduced stress levels. Working on your emotional intelligence will help you build stronger and more positive relationships with your colleagues, as well as with your loved ones.

 

Mentoring as a practice opportunity

Coaching and mentoring can be great sources for developing your emotional intelligence. On the one hand, the mentee can learn from the advice of his or her mentor, who has probably experienced more stressful situations at work than the mentee. On the other hand, the mentor can open up to different ways of approaching everyday situations by observing his mentee or mentees. It’s a win-win situation!