People come to mentors because they know they can’t do it alone—or because they know they’ll get farther, faster by tapping the experience of those who’ve already been there. In the words of the great Isaac Newton, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

That’s a starting point for evaluating how well your mentor program is doing. Can the person being mentored see farther and clearer than they could before?

What matters is how well the people being mentored feel they’re progressing toward their goals. So don’t rely on instinct, self-confidence, or the polite smiles shared at the end of the session. The best way to evaluate a mentor is to ask the people they’re aiming to help.

Are you a mentor? Are you running a mentoring program? Send a periodic mentor evaluation questionnaire to make sure you’re making the right difference in someone’s life.

There’s no standardized test to see how sharp your mentorship tools are. As a mentor, the opinions that count come from the person or people you’re mentoring—call them mentees, students, learners, or colleagues looking for a little guidance.

When asking for mentor feedback, consider the goals of the person being mentored, the attributes of the mentor, and the environment in which the mentorship takes place.

Is a mentee satisfied with the guidance or counselling you’ve provided? Are they making progress toward their initial goals? Do they feel empowered to continue on their own? The answers to these questions are pretty good indicators of how well your mentor is doing.

Here are some other areas to probe when assessing a mentor:

Knowledge. Does the mentor have the needed knowledge to navigate the terrain? Mentors don’t need to be know-it-alls. But they do need to know what they’re talking about.

Connection. Some people come to mentors to get connected—and learn how to connect—with others. Is your mentor facilitating these relationships?

Motivation. A brain full of knowledge and an address book full of contacts won’t take you far if you can't muster the mojo to make some moves. A good mentor motivates people to take action.

Empathy. The entire world already has access to a free, omniscient life guide called Google. But people turn to mentors for the human side. Contextualized experience and personalized pointers that start with the needs of the person seeking guidance.

Oh, and don’t be dry in your mentor evaluation form. Being a mentor is much more than saying the right things and pointing in the right directions. How you deliver your advice has a big impact on how the message is received. It’s the same with your evaluation forms. Make it interesting, make it look good, and you’ll get better feedback to help your mentors.