The ability to figure out strong mentors in your area of endeavors is a perfect way to set yourself up for a significant career transition. Anyway, it’s very important to work productively with your mentors to achieve goals. However, many companies offer formal programs so that more junior employees can benefit from formal mentorships with more seasoned professionals in their department, company, or industry.
In this article, we will help you to understand the definition of mentorship, why mentors are important, and whether you should personally seek a mentor. Also, we discuss what to look for in a mentor and how to make the most of your mentorship.
What Is The Meaning Of Mentorship?
Mentorship is a close relationship between two people where the individual with more experience, knowledge, and connections is able to pass along what they have learned to a more junior individual within a certain field. Also, the more senior individual is the mentor, and the more junior individual is the mentee.
However, mentors benefit because they can lead the future generation in an area they care about and ensure that best practices are passed along. Meanwhile, the mentee benefits because they have proven that they are ready to take the next step in their career and can receive the extra help needed to make that advancement.
What is the Importance of Mentorship?
A mentor can help you advance within your field and connect you with opportunities you might not have otherwise had access to. They do this by sharing their knowledge, helping you identify opportunities in your path, and potentially opening doors for you when the time comes.
Almost every great achiever in history has claimed they had a great mentor at some point during their rise to excellence.
Mentorship is a valuable tool for turning one’s vision into reality. Mentors are expected to guide and advise their mentees, helping them build a successful career or gain a solid footing within a certain organization. Typically, a mentor has one mentee at a time and can focus on shaping their trajectory.
What Are The Best Ways To Choose A Mentor?
Many offices have formal systems to identify their employees’ mentors and facilitate a strong mentoring relationship. However, if you are building a mentorship on your own, there are several places you might go to seek a mentor.
You can start by joining an informal professional network (for example, finding a group with similar interests and experiences through Facebook or Meetup). You can also join a formal professional association (which might involve paying fees and attending regulated events).
If you attended college, you can likely reach out to your school’s alumni network to see if graduates have had success in your field. Then, reach out to see if they are willing to help you improve your skills and seek new opportunities.
Regardless of where you find them, the most important thing is to choose the right person. Do you know what to look for?
From my experience, a good mentor must possess the following characteristics:
Extensive experience in a related or relevant field
Similar educational background
Has overcome relatable challenges
Friendly and genuine personality
Credible and trustworthy character
Must not feel threatened by empowering others
Favorably disposed to flexible mentoring styles
Open to learning from the mentee
Overall, you will know what feels right when you have met a good match. You must feel comfortable with your mentor. You should feel like they have a lot to offer you that is directly related to your field of work. If this is not true within the first few times you meet, it is perfectly acceptable to end the mentorship. Remember: It’s not a failure to move on and seek someone new.
You may want to request a meetup or interview before formally accepting a mentorship arrangement. Here is an important note, though: Keep in mind that both of you will be getting to know one another during this meetup, and both of you will be accepting your roles—not just you accepting them. Prepare to answer questions about your background and expectations, and try to make a good impression.
What Is The Difference Between Monitoring And Mentoring?
Mentoring is the act of helping an individual to grow as a person and become the best version of yourself. However, this may involve helping you to achieve your personal or career goals, thereby introducing you to new ways of thinking. Also, it helps by challenging your limiting assumptions, sharing valuable life lessons, and much more. Meanwhile, monitoring is the act of observing an individual to carry out a particular assignment.
What Are The Misconceptions About Mentoring?
There are a few common misconceptions about mentoring that affect the way people think about what a mentor is.
The following are the misconceptions people have about mentoring:
1. Mentors have to be old.
It is very important to note that mentoring has no age requirements, and older people can benefit from being mentored by younger people, such as in reverse mentoring. What’s important is relevant experience and chemistry.
2. Mentoring only benefits mentees
Mentoring has heaps of benefits for the mentor as well as the mentee, including; improving communication and leadership skills, increased fulfillment, likelihood of promotion, and more.
3. Mentoring is elitist
It’s not about senior managers taking prodigies ‘under their wing’. Modern mentoring is fair and inclusive (when established right) and can break down unfair hierarchies.
4. You’re either a mentor or a mentee.
89% of people with a mentor go on to be a mentor themselves. You can be both a mentor and mentee and even switch between the two in a peer mentoring relationship.
5. My mentor has to be similar to me
Familiarity is nice, but the best learning happens when you’re exposed to different ways of thinking. It can be better for your development to seek out opinions from outside of your usual spheres of influence, you might influence your mentor too.
What Is The Purpose Of A Mentorship Program?
According to the Mentoring in the Workplace report, the primary purposes of mentoring programs, as identified by respondents, are:
1. To develop leadership capability:
Two-thirds of the respondents cited this as a purpose, emphasizing the significance of mentoring in cultivating leaders within organizations.
2. To increase the skill levels of employees:
An equal number of respondents (two-thirds) viewed mentoring in the workplace as a means to enhance employee technical skills, indicating that beyond leadership, the general upskilling of employees is a central focus of mentoring initiatives.
3. To increase employee engagement:
Over half of the participants (63%) stated that a major goal of mentoring is to bolster employee engagement, suggesting that employee mentoring not only aims at skill and leadership development but also plays a vital role in influencing the attitudes and work approaches of employees, making them more invested in their roles.
When comparing organizational size, the report found:
Smaller companies place a high emphasis on mentoring to increase employee hard skill levels (75%).
Larger companies are more inclined towards mentoring to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, with 48% prioritizing this compared to 40% of mid-size and just 21% of small organizations.
While many organizations focus primarily on leadership development and enhancing employees’ soft skills through mentoring, the potential of a mentor program extends beyond these areas and can yield benefits across multiple dimensions when utilized effectively.
What Are The Qualities Of A Successful Mentee?
To get the most out of the mentorship experience, mentees should embrace the following qualities:
1. Openness:
A successful mentee approaches their mentor with an open mind and heart. They come ready to learn and grow, taking full advantage of what their mentor has to offer.
2. Respect:
Successful mentees respect themselves and their mentor’s expertise. This means listening intently, being willing to take advice, and implementing changes when necessary.
3. Communication skills:
Successful mentees can effectively communicate their goals and objectives to their mentor. They ensure their mentor understands what they are trying to accomplish so that they can provide mentees with the proper guidance.
4. Flexibility:
A successful mentee is flexible in how they approach the mentoring program. They understand that not every plan will work out as expected and are open to making adjustments when needed.
5. Self-awareness:
To maximize their mentorship, mentees should take personal responsibility for their actions and recognize areas where improvement is possible. This allows them to make better use of the advice given by their mentor.
6. Confidence:
A Successful mentee has faith in their abilities and the abilities of those around them. This allows them to take risks, learn from mistakes, and grow with the help of their mentor.