11 Jan Maybe You Should Be a Mentor: Here’s Why
People who are looking for a new job, or at least new advice on their current job, are often told that getting a mentor could be a great step forward. But what about the other side of it? Who should be a mentor, and why?
Here are some reasons why you should be a mentor:
You’ve arrived. Let’s face it – everyone is on a path to the next rung on the ladder. If you’re not at the top of your career yet, you’re probably spending a lot of energy wondering what’s the next step. But at some point, you feel pretty good about where you are in your professional life.
Sure, you’ve still got goals, and projects you’d like to pursue. But you feel confident about having made a name for yourself and feel at least fluent in the industry and your role, maybe even an expert.
Now might be the time to give back – no one gets to where they are on their own. You have valuable insight – share it.
Instant invigoration. You should be a mentor – or at least consider it – if you want some immediate kick into your day-to-day perspective. For some people, being asked a thousand questions by someone with less experience in your business could be annoying.
But if you have the right attitude, you could find a renewed sense of passion and enthusiasm for your job. It’s easy to lose sight of why you went into this business in the first place. You’re no longer fascinated by the world of advertising or hospitality, or whatever has been your bread and butter for years.
But when someone is first entering this arena, it’s easy for their passion to be infectious. Yes, you will be helping them learn. But they might also help you learn — to love your job again.
Trend setting. In many areas, the digital age, social media, globalization and other modern trends are changing the fact of businesses. While you might have a great perspective on how to break into an industry, who to know, and where to be, you may not be up to date on new ways of doing things.
Fresh eyes in the form of a mentee could offer you a chance to see the way the world is changing. They won’t know how to do everything, but they could have new ideas on ways to do it faster, cheaper or better.
Feel good. It’s a simple fact that doing something good for someone else not only helps them, it helps you. You don’t have to get your mentee a job, or even an interview, to have a profound impact on their career. It might be advice that you give them today, serves them in a week, a year or for their lifetime.
Any good mentee will be grateful that you chose to be a mentor, and make you feel like you made a valid contribution. Some days it’s hard to feel like you’ve got talent and value, and meeting with someone new to your world can help you keep a healthy perspective.
You can be a mentor and change someone else’s life – and yours.
It’s always a pleasant surprise to discover that you have a success story that someone else wants to learn from. You can inspire and encourage, while also getting gratification that your accomplishments extend beyond yourself. Don’t underestimate how your advice today can shape someone else tomorrow.
