#4 Show your protégé you care about them.
Your protégé needs to know that you care about them personally. So, be creative. Do something special at least once every three-four months to show that you are thinking of them.
Write a short, handwritten note.
Just call occasionally to see how he/she is doing or to encourage them.
Share blogs, articles, or YouTube videos you find interesting and informative via email, Twitter, or Facebook.
Become a Facebook “friend”. It will tell you a lot about how they portray themselves to the world and what kind of “friends” they have.
Send a birthday card.
Send a note to his/her spouse telling them some encouraging things your protégé has shared about them.
Every year, at the beginning of the year, I put the names of the men I mentor in my calendar, every three-four months. Just seeing those names, triggers a reminder to communicate something personal to them. By the way, after a year or so of them receiving these kinds of encouraging call or notes, I share with them why I do it and my system for reminding me to do it. I’m hoping they will start doing the same with their spouse, children, parents or the people they are mentoring.
Clare De Graaf
