I was recently invited to a business panel to discuss the power of mentorship. It made me reflect on my own career and the role mentorship has played. Mentorship—being a mentor as well as being a mentee—came late into my career. When I did have the good luck of connecting to mentors, I saw how it opened up the ability to pursue opportunities, tap into resources and create a feedback loop that is essential in anyone’s career journey and progression.

Benefits Of Mentoring

Today’s business landscape is complex and changing. Navigating and maneuvering it is critical. And a combination of soft and hard skills is often at the heart of this. Having a mentor, usually a person who has more experience, provides an opportunity to glean an understanding of the best ways to accomplish this.

In my career, I came to a point where my progression stalled despite being a top performer. And this is where learning and connecting really helped me break through it. To be clear, I did not have a single mentor or a formalized regular cadence, but what I did have was a small network to lean into for different perspectives. And from there, I began to apply those tips, build allies in the right places and make my strengths visible to those who mattered.

What does this mean for companies and organizations when their employees have the benefits of mentorship? In my case, having this guidance and advice allowed me to take on career opportunities that I otherwise may not have. My confidence soared, and my goals found clarity. And that meant my organization at that time was able to harness my talent most effectively and translate that into deepening employee engagement—I stayed longer and contributed more.

Mentorship also lends a voice to many who, on their own, are not able to traverse the journey. Having a wide variety of voices around the table is extremely beneficial to running any business, organization or project, because it brings different solutions and perspectives that translate toward direct success and, in turn, result in a positive cascading effect.

The benefits of mentorship are not confined to mentees only. Now that I mentor, I find incredible value in developing my leadership and management skills and applying insights to my organizational relationships. These insights stem from discussions with my various mentees around priorities, decision-making, alternate and unorthodox solutions, etc. Having mentees has been wonderful and instrumental in keeping me focused in different ways.

What Makes A Good Mentor?

Generally, a good mentor is someone who is motivated and energized, cares about developing others, and is willing to commit their time. At the same time, if you are a mentee, make sure to dedicate the time and energy necessary to be mentored properly. It’s most effective when there is a good match between the mentor and mentee—whether that be in backgrounds, skill sets, experiences, roles or facing similar challenges.

Recently, I had a mentee whose career trajectory was similar to mine, but most importantly, she was facing common issues that I faced at similar points in my career. As a result, there was plenty to share, discuss and discern.