You’ve probably heard the old adage: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” And, whether that has proven true for you yet or not, you will fully understand the meaning of the phrase when you take part in a mentorship relationship. The importance of mentorship runs deeper than extending one’s network– it can be life-changing.
In this article, we will cover the benefits of mentoring for both the mentor and the mentee. We’ll look at what a mentor is, what qualities make for a good mentor, and how both sides of the relationship can benefit.
What is a Mentor?
Merriam-Webster defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” In both workplace settings and academic settings, mentors connect with their mentees to provide support, guidance, advice, and help in whatever capacity that they can.
The mentorship relationship quickly becomes personal and can last for a short time or a lifetime. The relationship is aimed at helping another person achieve a goal or many goals. Even if the goal is not concrete, it could be to develop one’s confidence or self-awareness more, and a mentor can play a role in helping to do so.
The Benefits of Being a Mentor
When people think of the mentor-mentee relationship, it’s often the mentee who is thought to reap all the benefits. The fact of the matter is that it’s a symbiotic relationship, which means both sides benefit.
When you become a mentor, you get to experience an array of upsides, including:
Feeling satisfied
Mentors get to feel a sense of satisfaction for the aid they provide to their mentees. They offer encouragement, and at the end of the day, they get to witness the success of another that they were a part of creating.
Gaining new perspectives
Since mentors, by definition, have more experience than their mentees, they look at the world from a different perspective. They also see situations differently than someone who is just getting started in that same space. As a result, mentors get a chance to have a refreshed and different point of view by working alongside a mentee that they may have otherwise never felt before.
