Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by Dave Schoenbeck
The benefits of being a mentor to someone at your company are not often discussed, but a genuine mentor-mentee relationship is valuable to both parties. If you’re considering becoming a mentor in your industry, here’s what you should know.
Reasons to Become a Mentor
Becoming a mentor doesn’t just benefit the employee you’re mentoring. There’s plenty in it for you, too. A mentor-mentee relationship requires time and energy, but it can be worth it once you find a mentee you genuinely respect.
Here are 5 ways that becoming a mentor can benefit your career and your mentees.
- Grow your leadership skills. One-on-one mentoring can help you cultivate your leadership skills in a way you don’t always experience with department-wide management. In addition, you’ll need to develop your patience, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence—all excellent skills for any leader.
- Gain a new perspective. Typically, the employee you mentor will be younger or more recent than you. But, even if you know everything there is to know about your business, a fresh perspective can help change stale routines and allow you to see things in a new light.
- Play an active role in shaping your workforce. If your mentorship is successful, your mentee will eventually be promoted to a leadership role in your company. A good leader can influence company culture and shape the rest of the workforce. It all starts with what you teach them.
- Strengthen your knowledge. Through your mentorship, you can impart the wisdom you’ve learned at the company. In addition, teaching an understudy will allow you to pay it forward.
- Make a difference. It feels good to help someone else, and becoming a mentor gives you a chance to make a real difference in the life of a young professional. With any luck, the two of you will form a career-long bond that’s mutually fulfilling.
How to Choose a Mentee
Choosing the right person to mentor is the key to getting the most out of your mentorship experience. Select an employee who can grow with just a little help when finding a mentee. Your mentee should be an employee who is passionate about their career and has the drive to succeed. Skills can be taught, but attitude can’t.
The most important trait to look for when finding a mentee is a genuine listening ability. An employee can have all the potential in the world, but if you can’t coach them, neither of you will get anything out of the relationship. Being a mentor can sometimes involve delivering hard lessons, and a mentee needs to take these seriously without taking them personally.
If you’re undecided about why you should become a mentor, a business coach can help. Click on my get started to form for a complimentary meeting to discuss how to find a mentee. You can also sign up for my free weekly business articles on leadership, best practices, and more.
Coach Dave
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