Mentoring matters. Don't overlook it.

Chances are that, at some point in your career or education, you have had a meaningful mentorship relationship. Do you remember that teacher who made you so curious in their subject that your grades improved in no time? Or that boss who always stood up for the team? Do you recall the inspiration they sparked in you, the wise advice that made an impact on you, the feeling of being understood and appreciated by them? That’s what great mentors are: cheerleaders, advisors, coaches, parents to an adult child. But mentoring is not only all about the mentee. It’s a win-win, benefiting equally those being guided and those providing the guidance. 

Plenty of scientific evidence

Researchers found not only a significant correlation between workplace mentoring and career attitudes but also confirmed that mentoring, whether in a workplace or outside the office, boosts your career outcomes and future employability. For example, in academia, young researchers who had well-functioning relationships with mentors turned out to more often receive fellowships and progressed in their careers faster. 

There are also broad psychological benefits from mentoring, such as improved self-image, confidence boost and increased well-being, both for mentors and mentees who over time build meaningful and enriching relationships with each other.

New horizons and skills

The key advantage of mentoring is developing new skills and gaining new outlooks. Mentees can draw from their trusted advisors’ experience and knowledge, which allows them to broaden their horizons, discover new perspectives and better handle challenges on their professional path. 

As a mentor, you can learn to better understand the younger generation, their motivation and values. It will allow you not only to guide your mentee but also to better manage other young people on your team. Moreover, coaching a mentee is a great way to gain excellent listening skills, articulate your own managerial style and develop best practices as a leader. Plus, you learn how to give and receive feedback from someone who is close to you and whom you can trust to be honest with you.

Energizing and rewarding

Mentoring is not only about professional guidance, but also about a personal connection, the ‘click’ that makes you want to spend time together and learn from each other. This special mentor-mentee relationship can be very energizing, boosting the level of professional satisfaction and improving wellbeing. 

For mentees, having support from someone whom they respect and admire, motivates them to reach for more, gives them self-confidence and encouragement necessary to pursue their goals. For a mentor, seeing the mentee grow can be equally rewarding. It’s a sweet feeling to know that you had an impact on someone’s professional or personal development. Because the simple truth is that giving makes people even happier than receiving.

And that’s still not all. Someone, in the future, might also benefit from a successful mentorship relation. Happy mentees will likely become mentors themselves, paying back for the support they have received and raising yet another generation of early-career professionals.

Building leadership together

Some people say that if you want to become a leader, you should learn from a leader. And that’s another element of mentoring. Only people with leadership traits and desire to give back to others are willing to take on the role of a mentor. Only those who are ready to come out of their comfort zone will be daring enough to ask someone to become their mentor and commit to it. Mentoring is leadership in practice, for both established and aspiring leaders. 

Convinced now?

I hope this short article persuaded you to get involved in mentorship! It's a win-win for both parties. So, if you are focused on your career and need advice, don't be shy and start scrolling through your LinkedIn contacts and professional networks to find a mentor who can open the new horizons for you. And if you are already well-established professional, share your wisdom! You will help someone to become a next-generation leader and benefit from this relationship, in not in a professional sense than at least on a personal level.