Mentorship gets talked about a lot, but too often it’s treated like another HR initiative. The irony? Companies with mentoring programs, both formal and informal, see profits that are 18% higher than average.

Seasoned promo pros have a real opportunity here. Mentoring newcomers not only strengthens the next generation of promo talent, but it also sharpens your own skills and perspective. When you teach what you know, you level up, too.

Mentor Loop’s Grace Winstanely says both mentoring partners can get more out of the experience by asking the right questions. We share her thoughts in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

  1. Ask inquiry questions. These could include “Where would you like to start?” and “How did that make you feel?” According to Winstanely, these questions are kind of like peeling an onion. They’re baseline and unintrusive, helping you get a better read on the other person.

  2. Ask diagnostic questions. By asking diagnostic questions, which tend to be more focused and direct, you have a chance to delve into the other person’s perspective. For example, if you ask, “You shared that the meeting didn’t go well yesterday. Why was that?” you learn more about their mental process.

  3. Ask confrontational questions. According to Winstanely, these questions are helpful when you want to challenge or place slight pressure on someone else’s narrative. They help you introduce new ideas and hypotheses as well as tacitly give advice. They may sound like, “What would you change if you did X again?” or “Would you have done X if you knew Y?” Keep in mind, this type of questioning should only be used when you know and have a good rapport with someone, she says.

  4. Ask questions to which you don’t know the answer. When you stay curious and interested in the other person, you help build rapport. Winstanely says you could ask questions like, “Can you help me understand why …” and “Can you think of any major risks with …” She says these questions are helpful when you want to take a less direct approach to nudging someone in the right direction.

You can be a better mentoring partner when you’re more intentional with the questions you ask. Whether you want to understand the facts or hear how the other person handled a situation, ask thoughtful questions and then actively listen. The more you build on what you learn, the easier it becomes to move the relationship forward.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Grace Winstanely is the senior marketing manager at Mentor Loop, a data-driven mentoring platform.