Why YOU should become a mentor

With the increased complexity of work and global changes upon us, our leaders are looking for support, encouragement, advice and direction now more than ever. In fact, 76% of leaders and future leaders believe they would benefit from having a mentor and confidential, trusted advisor – and yet only 37% of people have the opportunity to find one (Olivet Nazarene University, 2019).

The benefits of mentoring for the mentee are not in question. There are a plethora of benefits for mentees: in addition to the day-to-day connection and support they receive from a trusted and respected colleague, they also end up receiving higher salaries and being happier in their jobs (Wharton School of Business, 2007; Wronski & Cohen, 2019).

But what’s in it for you as the potential mentor?

Not surprisingly, a good mentoring relationship can bring a great deal of value to the mentor, too. While it might seem that a mentor gets less out of such relationships, research shows that mentors are six times more likely to be promoted compared to those who do not act as mentors (Beheshti, 2019). Other benefits include developing an effective leadership style and understanding the younger generations (Moore, 2015). What could be even more interesting is that the altruism experienced in such relationships seems to lead to a more fulfilling and happier life – and possibly even a longer lifespan (Omadeke, 2017)!

A great way to work towards DE&I

Mentoring programmes have been found to significantly increase representation of women and ethnic minority individuals in leadership positions – these figures were in the range of 9 to 24% (Dobbin & Kalev, 2016).

However, women and people from minority backgrounds find it more difficult to create an informal relationship with mentors than their white male peers (Reeves, 2022).

For this reason, it is important to build formal programmes with a clear purpose of encouraging diversity and inclusivity. This will ultimately lead not just to equality –only looking at representation on senior levels in terms of numbers – but also to often so elusive equity by levelling the playing field and providing the resources everyone needs to achieve similar successful outcomes.

Sounds good – so how do you get started as a mentor?

Your organisation may already have a mentoring scheme in place, which can help match you with an appropriate mentee. There may also be mentoring schemes outside of your organisation that you can join. But another great way to start mentoring is to simply make it known amongst your colleagues and at work that you are available and willing to be a mentor. Oftentimes those looking for mentors assume that they are being a burden and are afraid to ask the colleagues they trust and respect for a commitment like entering into a mentoring relationship. Announcing your openness to such an arrangement allows them to feel safe approaching you.

Learn more

There is so much more to mentoring than what this bite-sized article can cover. If you would like to hear more about the benefits of mentoring for both mentors and mentees, and understand the psychology and neuroscience behind it all, check out episode 23 of The Chief Psychology Officer podcast with Dr Amanda Potter CPsychol and Angela Malik on ‘The Science of Mentoring’, available on the official podcast website as well as on Apple, Spotify, and Google.

Written by Attila Simony , Business Psychologist at Zircon Management Consulting Ltd

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References

Episode 23. The Science of Mentoring. The Chief Psychology Officer podcast. https://www.thecpo.co.uk

Beheshti, N. (2019, January 23). Improve workplace culture with a strong mentoring program. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2019/01/23/improve-workplace-culture-with-a-strong-mentoring-program/?sh=527b867076b5

Dobbin, F. & Kalev, A. (2016). Why Diversity Programs Fail. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail

Moore, M. (2015, February 16). The game changer – How everyone benefits from workplace mentoring. LinkedIn. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/game-changer-how-everyone-benefits-from-workplace-mentoring-moore/

Olivet Nazarene University (2019). Study explores professional mentor-mentee relationships in 2019. Olivet Nazarane University. https://online.olivet.edu/research-statistics-on-professional-mentors

Omadeke, J. (2017, October 5). Why the happiest people are mentors. LinkedIn. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/why-happiest-people-mentors-janice-omadeke-pmp/

Reeves, M. (2022, December 2022). Four ways mentorship programs can meaningfully promote workplace diversity. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/12/02/four-ways-mentorship-programs-can-meaningfully-promote-workplace-diversity-and-inclusion/?sh=700fb5f898db

Wharton School of Business (2007, May 16). Workplace Loyalties Change but the Value of Mentoring Doesn’t. Knowledge at Wharton. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/workplace-loyalties-change-but-the-value-of-mentoring-doesnt/

Wronski, L. & Cohen, J. (2019, July 16). Nine in 10 workers who have a career mentor say they are happy in their jobs. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/16/nine-in-10-workers-who-have-a-mentor-say-they-are-happy-in-their-jobs.html