You may have heard it said that one of the most important jobs of a leader is to create new leaders. This is often best done through coaching to prepare emerging leaders to transition from individual contributors to figures of authority. There is much that can be done to move these employees from focusing on their tasks to taking a step back and adopting a big picture view. They can be coached to switch with ease from a visionary role to leading from the front as captains, as well as guiding team members as a coach or leading from behind as their cheerleader.

The statistics speak for themselves:

71% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs. The reason is simple. In 2016, The Centre for Workplace Leadership found that investing in leadership capability pays off in performance, productivity and innovation. Britain’s first online gateway for businesses looking for mentoring, mentorsme, reports that 67% of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring.

Here are seven secrets of being an effective mentor, as outlined by Tony Dungy, the highly respected retired coach of the Indianapolis Colts:

The Seven E’s of Effective Mentoring

1. Engage – Mentoring will not work without engagement. An open-door policy signals to the mentee that you are there for them whenever necessary. Any opportunity to spend time in the world of your mentee also shows that you care.

2. Educate – Education is a critical component of effective mentorship. Helping, guiding and teaching comprise the foundation upon which people can shine.

3. Equip – Along with education, equipping mentees is essential to helping them excel and reach their highest potential.

4. Encourage – A little encouragement goes a long way to keep those being mentored motivated to overcome any obstacles that may arise on their leadership journey. 

5. Empower – There is power in learning by doing. Giving people the freedom to implement in their jobs what they are learning is an important step in the mentoring process.

6. Energize – The energy leaders bring to mentoring can inspire those they are mentoring, propelling them along the path to success.

7. Elevate – It’s all about the person who is being mentored. When a leader puts their ego aside to focus selflessly on a mentee’s goals, the results can be incredible.