On Mentoring

Apparently, January is National Mentoring Month in the U.S. I read a Forbes article yesterday titled The One Thing Female Leaders Should be Doing More Of, and in it, contributor Jan Bruce highlighted mentoring as a practice that fosters mutually beneficial professional relationships.

As someone who has recently taken on a mentorship role at work, I agree with Jan’s assessment of the benefits of sharing your time and experience (dare I call it wisdom?) with someone else. For my own benefit, I would like to review the reasons offered for why mentoring shapes better leaders – and future leaders.

Mentoring can relieve stress:

Aside from the fact that mentoring often involves assigning some of your own work load to a willing mentee (in the case of an intern or junior assistant), the act of mentoring itself is a “feel good” action. Mentoring provides you with the opportunity to get out of your own head for a few minutes and focus on someone else. You are devoting a portion of your day to another person’s personal and professional development. I am guilty of becoming so self-absorbed with my own stressors that it can become difficult to detach and re-align my focus on the needs of someone else. Mentoring also forces you to organize your thoughts and goals in a tangible and relatable way. Stress and anxiety are often a direct result of feeling “scattered” and disorganized. By having someone who relies on you for a calm and organized delivery, you are keeping yourself in check and essentially minimizing your stress levels.       

Mentoring can build resilience:

There may have been a time when you were in the position of being mentored by someone else. You may recall feelings of insecurity and incompetence. Although natural, these feelings diminish over time and with experience. Having the opportunity to mentor someone allows for a sense of confidence and resilience, not to mention the gratifying bond that is hopefully formed. As a mentor, you are a leader and leadership requires resilience in the face of challenges, big or small. 

Mentoring can remind you of how accomplished you are:

Sometimes we forget or minimize how much we’ve learned over the years. As someone who has many more years to learn many more things, I am definitely not overconfident in my level of expertise. Learning is a continuum. Still, it’s important to remember how far you’ve come. Mentorship allows you to share your knowledge and skill set with someone who is glad to receive them. It’s nice to be reminded of your value in that context.

Mentoring can give you a chance to learn, too:  

Although I am not much older than the individual I am currently mentoring (I was also a peer mentor during my undergraduate studies), sharing ideas is a great way to learn and grow. Sometimes, one method of doing things can be improved with a simple suggestion from your mentee. Being a mentor does not mean you are always right. You are, however, more accountable for your words and actions. Be open and willing to really listen to the person you are mentoring. That person's success or failure is in part a reflection of your guidance. Often, you will learn something about yourself and your leadership style in the process of mentoring another – such as that you are impatient, but thorough, firm, but fair (perhaps that’s just me).  

Mentoring can develop your sense of purpose:

Finally, mentoring reignites a sense of purpose. For me, that purpose manifests itself in the knowledge I continue to acquire and share. Without sounding too profound, your small contribution has the potential to have a lasting impact on someone else’s life and career – until it’s their turn to pay it forward.