A mentor is someone who assumes the role of an advisor for someone (mentee) who doesn’t have as much knowledge on a topic. Below are seven Reason’s Mentor/Mentee relationships are important.
1. Mentors support growth
Mentors encourage and enable another person’s professional or personal development. The mentors’ knowledge can help train and create a high-quality and productive workforce. Employees appreciate workplaces that encourage development, as it can demonstrate that their employer values them.
2. Mentors serve as a source of knowledge
Mentors can provide specific insights and information that enable the mentee’s success. For example, they offer instructions on how to perform particular tasks or develop useful skills. Individuals just beginning their career can benefit from such guidance, as it helps them feel comfortable in the role more quickly.
3. Mentors can help set goals
A mentor can help their mentee set personal or professional development goals. For effective goal setting, they can create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-based (SMART).
4. Mentors maintain accountability
A mentor helps hold their mentee accountable for their goals. By tracking progress, the mentee stays on track. Knowing that someone else is watching can serve as motivation.
5. Mentors offer encouragement
When the mentee finds themselves struggling to perform their job or reach a goal, they can turn to their mentor for support. This encouragement can motivate them to keep moving forward despite challenges.
6. Mentors serve as a trusted ally
Trust represents a core element of mentoring relationships. The mentee must trust that the mentor has their best interests in mind and will provide accurate and honest guidance. A mentee should be able to bounce ideas off of a mentor and receive honest and critical feedback.
7. Mentors have relevant experience
When possible, individuals should choose mentors who have the experience relevant to their profession or goals. When mentors convey their successes, the mentee can use them as an example to strive toward and copy the steps they took. Mentors can also share the mistakes they made along their journeys. The mentee benefits because they learn lessons about the mistakes’ negative impacts but do not have to suffer the consequences themselves. Learning about these experiences can also help prepare the mentee for the challenges they can expect to face and provide demonstrable advice on how to overcome them.
