The Benefits of Being a Mentor
17/03/16
The old adage "you get what you give" never rings more true than for those who have assumed the position of a professional mentor.
The mentor/mentee relationship has become increasingly popular in the workplace and is a relationship that is built on trust, mutual respect, and a genuine interest in helping to develop skills in one another.
Mentors are looked upon as trusted advisers and role models by their mentees and are there to support and encourage each other to advance their careers.
There are many benefits involved in becoming a mentor. These include:
- Develop your leadership skills – the experience will help your ability to motivate, inspire, and encourage others which will in turn help you become a better manager and team member.
- Understand and appreciate cultural differences – this is true particularly if your mentee is from a different country. As leaders, we often get embroiled in our own day to day tasks, and we forget to notice multiculturalism in the workplace and its ability to affect performance in employees with non-english speaking backgrounds. Becoming a mentor to these employees means you will gain an appreciation for a culture you might not have otherwise been privy to.
- Improve your communication skills – the experience will force you to find ways to communicate more effectively with junior professionals and employees from different departments who might not yet understand industry terms.
- Advance your career – demonstrating to senior management that you have mentored a junior employee outside of your own work responsibilities will be looked upon favourably when applying for a raise. It will also assist in paving the way for you to get into a management position if you are not already in one.
- Learn new perspectives – by working with someone less experienced than you, you gain a new perspective on things and learn a new way of thinking as well as learning more about a particular topic you are less familiar with from a younger professional with strengths pertinent to that particular generation.
- Gain personal satisfaction – it can be very personally fulfilling to know that you’ve made a significant contribution to someone’s personal development. Seeing the growth in your mentee and watching them succeed is a reward in itself.
Becoming a mentor can be mutually beneficial and rewarding on many levels. The experience can leave you with a personal satisfaction of knowing that you have contributed to the success of an individual and have personally shaped their lives. So why not become a mentor now?
Considering being a mentor to interns at the start of their careers? It's easy! Performance Careers will match your company with a suitable student and offer guidance, as we have for 4,750 students and 1,750 host companies. Find out how to become a host company mentor.
