The Advantages of Mentoring
Many early-career office support professionals are actively seeking mentors to help them develop and advance in their careers. But these professional relationships are by no means one-sided. Often, both mentors and mentees get a lot out of them.
Despite the gradual relaxation of lockdown restrictions, many PAs, EAs, and office support professionals continue to work from home, which means you may have a little more time on your hands than usual. Why not invest a few hours each week in the learning and development of an aspiring professional if you're an experienced PA or EA with knowledge to share, advice to give, and stories to tell?
This article will define mentoring before delving into how these relationships can benefit both parties and revealing what it takes to be a good mentor.
Should you seek the advice of a mentor? Are you at a point in your career where your advice could help a less experienced colleague advance? Continue reading to learn more about the advantages of mentoring.
What exactly is mentoring?
Mentoring is when an experienced senior professional helps a less experienced person in the same company, network, or profession with their career and gives them advice over a long period of time. These relationships are typically voluntary and based primarily on informal communication and meetings in which the mentor offers advice, insights, and suggestions for their mentee's skill development and career advancement.
Organizations may run their own internal mentoring programmes that provide more structure than the informal relationships that can develop between two professionals meeting at a networking event, for example. A mentee's line manager could also serve as their mentor. The mentoring relationship should be built on mutual trust and respect, regardless of how the two come together.
The Advantages of Mentoring
While mentoring provides obvious learning and development support to the less experienced party, the benefits for mentors and mentees alike are numerous and varied.
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The Advantages of Being a Mentee
When less knowledgeable members of our audience seek guidance and support from a mentor, they can expect the following benefits:
The Advantages of Being a Mentor
Meanwhile, those who are thinking about becoming mentors may benefit from the relationship in the following ways:
How to Be an Effective Mentor
Mentoring, like any other professional endeavour, necessitates effort and commitment on the part of both parties involved. Here are a few pointers to help you become a successful mentor.
Share both your failures and your successes. It's easy to forget that some of your most valuable professional lessons will have come from times when you messed up or missed the mark. Make sure your mentee understands that even if you make a mistake, you can still improve your skills and advance your career. You'll also be demonstrating the resilience and reflection qualities that every good leader must possess.
Establish objectives and deadlines with your mentee. The relationship between you and your mentee is all about assisting them in realising their potential and achieving their goals. Setting specific, time-bound goals with your mentee will help both of you stay on track and give the relationship a sense of purpose.
Maintain regular contact with your mentee. Meetings should be held on a regular basis for a mentoring relationship to have the greatest impact. Though you may not be able to meet in person right now, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Skype are an excellent substitute. If you are unable to commit to regular meetings, now may not be the best time to become a mentor.
Only mentor those in whom you have complete faith. To get the most out of mentoring, only form relationships with professionals you believe have genuine potential to develop and grow. Before committing to the relationship, meet with your potential mentee and have an in-depth conversation about their career and goals.