Why Everyone Needs a Mentor

4 min Read | #Mentorship

We've all heard it. Again & again.

Everyone loves tossing around the term and slipping it into conversations. From universities, to workplaces, business articles to interviews, everyone's talking about:

Mentorship

In my life, mentorship has been much more than a buzzword to throw around. For me, it's shifted the lens through which I view life, work and everything in between.

Everyone has a different definition of mentorship, but mine would be:

Intentional time with someone who is farther along in their life than you are, typically in a 1 on 1 setting, with the goal to learn, grow and challenge each other.

Goals, structure, timing, topics etc. can all vary, but I think this core principle needs to be evident.

As a result of its impact on my life, I thought it would only be fitting to write an article unpacking what mentorship has meant to me and a couple of practical reasons everyone needs to consider it.

Here are three reasons why everyone needs a mentor, (minus the free coffee and lunch that usually comes along with it!).

1. Enhanced & Varying Perspective

Advice, feedback and self-awareness are all great things that come from different relationships. But when you establish a relationship with a mentor, you have the opportunity to access a package of all three and in a unique way.

The opportunity to have an experience guide offer you unfiltered feedback to challenge your decisions is unlike any university class you can take. And mentors can provide resources or introductions when needed, which can aid your decisions and help you accomplish your goals.

It's spectacular to imagine what can come from a relationship built on trust, a humble attitude and willingness to learn from an individual who is years ahead of you in multiple capacities (life, family, work etc.)

Last year, I directed a Fundraiser Gala for a charity called Lighthouse Voyage, an NGO that frees women in India caught in human trafficking, alongside a team of student volunteers. It was a powerful vision, but the reality was that we had no clue how to execute the event successfully.

It was obvious to us that the next step was to seek out leaders in our space who had done something similar. So like any project, we started researching people online, sending out emails, messaging over social media, all with the hopes that they might have some time to hear our idea.

We eventually met with fundraising consultants, NGO directors, and well-known business executives who were all open to sharing advice to make sure our first Gala would be a success. We were amazed by the mentor relationships that developed.

Our mentors supported us with advice, weekly check-ins, continual encouragement and many doors opened as a result.. Hundreds of emails, coffee chats and phone calls later, the unimaginable happened: We raised over $75,000 during the gala, surpassing our initial goal. If we were left to our own devices, this story could’ve had an entirely different ending.

A mentor enhances your perspective with unbiased feedback and advice rooted in their past experiences. Whether you’re working at a side project or considering a major life decision, a mentor's perspective is a must.

2. Platform of Trust & Accountability

Once you have established a relationship with your mentor and a framework for moving ahead (timing, goals, expectations etc.), trust and accountability begins to form.

Goals turn into actionable to-dos, ideas transform into informed action plans and conversations flow naturally, with freedom and permission to explore big dreams and ask hard questions.

I think the key difference between learning from an external tool (book, article, course etc.) and a mentor is the depth of trust and accountability that transfers over from a mentor.

I have nothing against 250 page books filled to the brim with knowledge, and I know a mentor will be able to advise and hold me accountable for my actions much more than the second chapter of Tony Robbin’s best seller.

With a mentor, life becomes much more than an all-defining one road to success. Moreover, it becomes a sequence of various ideas that revolve around your values and another person to help guide you through the decision making processes all of us naturally follow.

It is only when this platform of trust and accountability is established that ideas for internships, informational interviews, advice for projects and personal growth soon follow.

3. Future Advice in the Present

Whether you are a student, teacher, sales manager or property developer, everyone has questions about the future.

Why not seek out someone who has gone out in the world and successfully conquered a similar endeavour and see if they'd be willing to share their advice?

Personal research, academic advice and trial by error only gets you so far. Asking another person to take time out of their schedule to share their insights might seem daunting at first but, when looking back, you'll see that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Mentorship is a powerful resource, regardless of your age, background or personal goals.

Everyone can learn from having a mentor and each of us has the potential to be a mentor to someone else in our life.

My challenge to you: Make one of those options a reality this week. And if you're successful, send me a message. I always like receiving updates!

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3 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Mentor:

1. Enhanced & Varying Perspective
2. Platform of Trust & Accountability
3. Future Advice in the Present

Q: What's your reason? Comment below!

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Hope you enjoyed the read and if you have any comments or questions, feel free to send me a message.

#StudentVoices #Mentorship #LinkedinCreators

Joel is a BBA management student, Linkedin Campus Editor and co-director of Western Canada's largest marketing conference (CIMC). He has worked as a Parliament Hill intern, Director of Operations, Fundraiser Director and Marketing Consultant this past year. He plans to pursue a career in partnerships or business development soon after graduation this spring and has a passion for helping companies craft the way they share their stories.

To hear more from Joel, feel free to follow him on Twitter or send him a message on Linkedin.