There’s no question. Mentoring is a rewarding role for a tax professional who wants to give back to the tax community. Think about the mentoring you’ve received and how it has impacted your career. To pass this good fortune on to another will be a sign of your integrity and desire for best tax practices.

1. 5 Easy Ways to Become
a Successful Mentor
Career Advice Provided By:

2. The 5 Step Process
1. Understand the Critical Factors
2. Be Effective and Efficient
3. Set Goals with Mentee
4. Define Action Steps with Mentee
5. Have Your Own Mentor

3. • As a mentor, you can’t be all things to all people. You can effectively
mentor in a hand-full of areas at any one point in your career. You must
start by being honest with yourself in evaluating your experience,
knowledge, strengths and weaknesses.
• Define the areas in which you are comfortable mentoring. Don’t let
your ego interfere by trying to provide advice in areas you are not
experienced or fully developed yourself.
• Only mentor tax professionals that need help in the areas you’ve
defined as your strengths. If someone requests you as a Mentor and
you know it’s not the best fit, decline and explain why. Don’t let your
ego overrule your better judgment of which Mentee is a good match for
you.
Critical Factors of Mentoring

4. • Have effective listening and
feedback skills. This will save both
of you time and frustration. Being
able to listen deeply and offer
feedback for clarification is basic to
getting your job done as a Mentor.
• Be aware of the fact personal as
well as career goals. If you don’t pay
attention to the personal side of
your Mentee’s life, you could spend
valuable time on career goal setting
only to find out there are personal
issues that supersede any career
considerations.
Be Effective and Efficient
• If you find out after you’re into the
relationship that it’s not a good
match, stop the process. Have a
frank conversation with the Mentee
and recommend that he or she find
a different Mentor.
• Control the relationship. You are
giving your time for someone else
so you have the right to control it.
This requires a discussion on the
front end so you and your mentee
will have the same expectations
going forward.

5. • Be specific and challenge your mentee. Are their goals in alignment with their
strengths? Do the goals set require additional training and development of the
mentee?
• Set realistic goals. If your mentee wants to be head of tax planning within two years
at his/her current company but there is another person in line who has a more
experience and stronger credentials, your mentee must consider whether this is a
realistic goal or not. You as a mentor should insist that your mentee be realistic
about their life situation as it relates to career goals as is relates to their experience.
• Confirm with Mentee that his/her stakeholders’ input has been considered. If, for
example, the mentee has not received positive feedback about moving out of tax
into another area of the company, a goal such as this might be unattainable with the
current employer. If your mentee has what it takes to move from tax to a broader
business role, this goal might be more attainable at another organization. Again, this
type of analysis requires being realistic about all factors involved.
Set Goals With Your Mentee

6. • As always, the devil’s in the detail. Having lofty goals without a specific, plan is
nothing more than a pipe dream. You and your mentee will have to roll up
your selves, sharpen your pencils and define action steps that will lead to
fulfillment of the goal.
• Make each action step measurable. Define how the success of each action step
will be measured and in what timeframe. We all know the difference in doing
a task where we have a deadline vs. no deadline. Mentoring should not be a
laissez faire relationship but one built on specific expectations and
accountability.
• Hold your mentee accountable. They should understand that you are giving
your valuable time and energy and you expect them to be fully engaged. Do
your part by making sure you meet with your mentee at the defined time for
completion and evaluation of each action step.
Define Action Steps with Mentee

7. Have Your Own Mentor
• Understanding yourself and your deficits will be the
best indicator of where YOU need mentoring. You can
determine this by listening to feedback from other key
individuals connected with your career. Ask yourself
what you would like to do but hold back because of
inexperience or fear.
• Use your mentor to help you develop your own
mentoring skills. If you your Mentor does not provide a
good example, you may want to consider finding a
mentor you can look up to as a role model. A mentor
should set a higher standard.

8. Final Thoughts
• As you can see, a lot goes into mentoring. So, why do it?
There are so many good reasons but most important, it’s an
opportunity to give to others what you have gained during
your career.
• Your decision to become a mentor will not go unnoticed by
your employer. It can only serve as a plus in the eyes of
those who are watching your potential and career
development.
Click Here to Become Part of TaxTalent’s Mentor Program