Mentoring is the ability to guide and support employees in their personal and professional growth. Effective mentors are able to create a safe and supportive environment where employees can explore their strengths and weaknesses, develop concrete plans for achieving their goals, and receive constructive feedback on their progress. Mentoring requires strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to listen actively and provide guidance that is tailored to the mentee’s goals and needs. Mentors should also be able to inspire and motivate their mentees to achieve their full potential.
Performance Review Questions: Mentoring Skills
Based on the answers to these questions, you can assign a rating that accurately reflects the employee’s performance in the specific skill of mentoring. It’s important to provide specific examples to support your rating and to offer constructive feedback on areas where the employee can improve.
1. Did the employee provide effective guidance and support to their mentees?
2. Did the employee demonstrate a deep understanding of their mentees’ goals and needs?
3. Did the employee create a safe and supportive environment for their mentees to explore their strengths and weaknesses?
4. Did the employee help their mentees develop concrete plans for achieving their goals?
5. Did the employee regularly check in with their mentees to ensure they were making progress and provide constructive feedback?
Related: Best Performance Review Examples for 48 Key Skills
2000+ Performance Review Phrases: The Complete List (Performance Feedback Examples)
Performance Review Phrases and Paragraphs Examples for Mentoring Skills
5 โ Outstanding
Example Phrases
- Provides exceptional guidance and support to mentees
- Demonstrates a deep understanding of the mentee’s goals and needs
- Creates a safe and supportive environment for mentees to explore their strengths and weaknesses
- Helps mentees develop concrete plans for achieving their goals
- Regularly checks in with mentees to ensure they are making progress and provides constructive feedback
- Shows remarkable ability to inspire and motivate others to reach their full potential
- Consistently provides valuable insights and shares expertise in a way that empowers mentees
- Demonstrates exceptional skill in identifying and nurturing talent within the organization
- Creates innovative mentoring strategies that lead to measurable growth and development
- Builds strong, lasting relationships that foster professional development
- Shows outstanding ability to adapt mentoring style to individual needs
- Effectively balances challenging assignments with appropriate support and guidance
- Demonstrates exceptional patience and understanding in developing others
- Creates opportunities for mentees to showcase their abilities and advance their careers
- Serves as an exemplary role model for professional conduct and leadership
- Maintains excellent documentation of mentee progress and development plans
- Shows exceptional ability to provide both positive and constructive feedback
- Creates comprehensive development programs that address both technical and soft skills
- Demonstrates remarkable insight into career development pathways
- Successfully guides mentees through complex professional challenges
Example Paragraph
“John is an outstanding mentor who consistently goes above and beyond to support his mentees. He takes the time to truly understand their goals and needs, and creates a safe and supportive environment where they can explore their strengths and weaknesses. John helps his mentees develop concrete plans for achieving their goals and regularly checks in with them to ensure they are making progress. He provides constructive feedback that helps his mentees grow and develop in meaningful ways.”
4 โ Exceeds Expectations
Example Phrases
- Provides excellent guidance and support to mentees
- Demonstrates a good understanding of the mentee’s goals and needs
- Creates a supportive environment for mentees to explore their strengths and weaknesses
- Helps mentees develop plans for achieving their goals
- Regularly checks in with mentees to ensure they are making progress and provides feedback
- Shows strong ability to motivate and inspire others to improve
- Consistently shares knowledge and expertise in a constructive manner
- Demonstrates strong skill in developing talent within the team
- Creates effective mentoring approaches that promote professional growth
- Builds positive relationships that encourage development
- Shows strong ability to adapt mentoring techniques to different learning styles
- Effectively assigns challenging tasks while providing appropriate support
- Demonstrates patience and understanding in developing others
- Creates opportunities for mentees to develop new skills
- Serves as a positive role model for professional behavior
- Maintains good records of mentee development and progress
- Shows strong ability to deliver constructive feedback
- Creates well-structured development plans for mentees
- Demonstrates good insight into career advancement opportunities
- Successfully guides mentees through professional challenges
Example Paragraph
“Sarah exceeds expectations as a mentor by providing excellent guidance and support to her mentees. She demonstrates a good understanding of their goals and needs, and creates a supportive environment where they can explore their strengths and weaknesses. Sarah helps her mentees develop plans for achieving their goals and regularly checks in with them to ensure they are making progress. She provides feedback that helps them improve and grow.”
3 – Meets Expectations
Example Phrases
- Provides guidance and support to mentees
- Demonstrates a basic understanding of the mentee’s goals and needs
- Creates a supportive environment for mentees
- Helps mentees develop plans for achieving their goals
- Checks in with mentees to ensure they are making progress
- Shows adequate ability to motivate others to improve
- Shares knowledge and expertise when asked
- Demonstrates acceptable skill in developing team members
- Creates standard mentoring approaches that support growth
- Builds satisfactory relationships with mentees
- Shows reasonable ability to adapt mentoring style when needed
- Assigns appropriate tasks with adequate support
- Demonstrates sufficient patience in developing others
- Provides basic opportunities for skill development
- Serves as an acceptable role model for professional conduct
- Maintains adequate records of mentee progress
- Shows satisfactory ability to provide feedback
- Creates basic development plans for mentees
- Demonstrates sufficient understanding of career paths
- Provides acceptable guidance through common challenges
Example Paragraph
“Tom meets expectations as a mentor by providing guidance and support to his mentees. He demonstrates a basic understanding of their goals and needs, and creates a supportive environment where they can explore their strengths and weaknesses. Tom helps his mentees develop plans for achieving their goals and checks in with them to ensure they are making progress.”
2 – Needs Improvement
Example Phrases
- Provides limited guidance and support to mentees
- Demonstrates a limited understanding of the mentee’s goals and needs
- Does not create a supportive environment for mentees to explore their strengths and weaknesses
- Does not help mentees develop concrete plans for achieving their goals
- Rarely checks in with mentees to ensure they are making progress
- Shows inconsistent ability to motivate others
- Reluctant to share knowledge and expertise
- Demonstrates poor skill in developing team members
- Creates ineffective mentoring approaches
- Struggles to build relationships with mentees
- Shows limited ability to adapt mentoring style
- Assigns tasks without providing adequate support
- Demonstrates impatience when developing others
- Provides few opportunities for skill development
- Fails to consistently model professional behavior
- Maintains incomplete records of mentee progress
- Shows difficulty in providing constructive feedback
- Creates vague or incomplete development plans
- Demonstrates limited understanding of career development
- Provides inadequate guidance through challenges
Example Paragraph
“Emily needs improvement in her mentoring skills. She provides limited guidance and support to her mentees, and demonstrates a limited understanding of their goals and needs. Emily does not create a supportive environment for mentees to explore their strengths and weaknesses, and does not help them develop concrete plans for achieving their goals. She rarely checks in with them to ensure they are making progress.”
1 – Unacceptable
Example Phrases
- Does not provide guidance or support to mentees
- Demonstrates no understanding of the mentee’s goals and needs
- Creates a hostile or unsupportive environment for mentees
- Does not help mentees develop plans for achieving their goals
- Does not check in with mentees to ensure they are making progress
- Shows complete inability to motivate others
- Refuses to share knowledge or expertise
- Demonstrates no skill in developing team members
- Creates harmful mentoring approaches
- Makes no effort to build relationships with mentees
- Shows no ability to adapt mentoring style
- Assigns inappropriate tasks without any support
- Demonstrates consistent hostility when working with others
- Provides no opportunities for development
- Consistently models unprofessional behavior
- Maintains no records of mentee progress
- Shows complete inability to provide feedback
- Creates no development plans for mentees
- Demonstrates no understanding of career development needs
- Provides harmful or incorrect guidance when approached
Example Paragraph
“Michael’s mentoring skills are unacceptable. He does not provide any guidance or support to his mentees, and demonstrates no understanding of their goals and needs. Michael creates a hostile and unsupportive environment for mentees, and does not help them develop plans for achieving their goals. He does not check in with them to ensure they are making progress, and does not provide any feedback to help them improve.”