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Mentoring Individuals
One of the most rewarding parts of being a Capstone coach is the opportunity to mentor individual students. The personal relationships you develop during this mentoring may be lifelong. Coaches often hear from students who were on their team two decades earlier. As you mentor the students, you can have a great influence on their personal and professional success. Some suggestions for mentoring are given below.
Share your professional expertise with them
Help the students by sharing lessons you've learned. They are anxious to know how they can make a difference in the world. As you have the opportunity, share lessons you've learned through both success and failure. Help them understand that they can become like you.
Help them develop success skills
Most of the major issues affecting personal success both inside and outside the university are not technical. Interpersonal skills and personal habits can can help or hurt students. Some of your students will need help to overcome challenges they face. As a mentor, you can help them make needed changes.
Give them encouragement and hope
At times during the year, the project will seem overwhelming. It will seem impossible to the team that they can succeed. As an experienced engineer, you've lived through times like this. Help the students see that things are not as bleak as they appear. Help them understand that they are extremely capable. Help them know that they can do it. Help them find hope.
Praise publicly, correct privately
Students love to hear praise for their work. Look for opportunities to publicly commend them. Positive comments encourage both the student who is praised and their teammates.
Correction will be necessary at times. When you correct, do so in private, and as kindly as possible. Make it clear that you are correcting in order to help them succeed, and be sure to follow up with an increase of love, as described in D&C 121.
Share your faith in them
Students may be insecure about their ability to work on a challenging project. They may feel inadequate. They may be frightened by the challenges that face them.
As their coach, you can help by expressing your faith in them. Believe in their abilities, and show them you believe in them. Your faith in the students will help them rise to the challenge and grow personally and professionally.
