Give Back – Be a Mentor!
Are you climbing to the top? Have you reached a level of success where you feel compelled to give back? While you cannot “give back” to the people who have helped you along the way, you can give “forward.” Being a mentor is an effective strategy in which you can contribute significantly to the professional development of others and offers a way to develop skills towards future career goals for those with those with whom you are engaged within your company.
The difference between simply training someone and coaching is significant. Training means providing the tools and the time, but it really is up to the other person to “get it”. Mentoring means having a vested interest in another and seeing the transfer of training and knowledge to completion and success. It’s a mutually rewarding investment.
Sharing your professional and personal skills and experiences with another person promotes growth and development that would not otherwise be possible. It is based on encouragement, constructive feedback, openness, mutual trust, respect, and a willingness to learn and share.
Some of the benefits for the less experienced employee (mentored) include:
- Greater knowledge;
- A supportive environment in which successes and failures can be explored and evaluated;
- A smooth transition to the next level, that is, promotion; and
- Development of professional confidence and self-esteem.
Some of the benefits for the more experienced employee (mentor) include:
- Give back what others gave you earlier in your career;
- A renewed enthusiasm for your profession and / or talents;
- Engaging in challenging discussions with someone who will have a new perspective on business and life that you would not otherwise be exposed to;
- Satisfaction for contributing to the success of another; and
- An opportunity to test new ideas and concepts.
The benefits for the company include:
- Better delivery of products and / or services through more informed and trained personnel;
- Greater employee retention;
- Better communication between separate areas of the company;
- A new network to support employees in times of organizational change; and
- Develop leaders with improved social skills.
To assess whether you would be a good mentor, consider whether you possess these qualities:
- Greater experience and knowledge than the mentee;
- Flexible and progressive style, particularly good people skills;
- Reliability to have an open and honest communication;
- Compatibility with the learner’s personality;
- A win / win agenda; and
- The ability to give constructive advice and act as a role model.
A successful mentoring partnership is an enjoyable professional development experience. If your company does not currently have a mentoring program, be a trailblazer. You will find that in addition to the benefits described above, you will bridge the gap between departments and different levels of authority within the organization, affecting morale and ultimately the bottom line.
Be a mentor!