why mentoring matters
“Show me a successful individual, and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living — if you do it well, I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.” Denzel Washington
There was a time when the idea of having a mentor was just for those needing physical and mental endurance, such as top athletes but today, with the surge of self-awareness and appreciation, having a mentor is as normal as a trip to the dentist.
In fact, the point has been made that we will spend time and money ensuring that our teeth are looked after or that we service the car but when it comes to our careers, or where we want to be in life, we seem to just accept our lot or perhaps leave it to fate or in the lap of the gods! Don’t be a bystander to your own possibilities and opportunities.
This is where mentors can help but who are they and why does mentoring matter?
A good mentor is a leader and knowledgeable businessperson who, if they don’t already, will take the time to get to know you well. They have proven work success under their belts meaning that they understand and appreciate your goals. They will see what talents you have (that may not be obvious to you) and what skills you may need to get to where you really want to be.
Mentoring, therefore, has become one of the most useful tools to create a strong, vibrant and happy workforce for the following reasons:
Satisfaction at work
The key to anyone thriving is to live life to the full and not just survive but with the pressures of everyday life, it is easier said than done. We feel that we must go through the routine of a job, be grateful for an income and not necessarily look to the future too readily. However, a mentor will help because you can look at work in a wider context so that it won’t be seen as means to an end and as Mark Twain said: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Retention and loyalty
We’ve all been in a job where we feel that colleagues do not really have an idea of what our true abilities are. A mentor will give you the tools and confidence to speak up and see areas at work where you may not have realised your abilities would be very useful to the business. Being appreciated and acknowledged at work is one of the main reasons people stay and good mentoring will encourage that to happen.
Highlights skills and knowledge
As teacher, author, researcher and adviser Sir Ken Robinson said in TedTalks downloaded by millions around the world, our natural skills aren’t always encouraged at an early age because they are not seen as academic, but intelligence comes in a number of forms. Robinson says that we should mirror children who are often unafraid of being wrong. By being free to discuss with a mentor what you would really like to do you could uncover your hidden talents to get more enjoyment at home and work.
Relieves worries and anxieties
Who would you turn to at work if anything was bothering you? Could you be sure you could be completely honest, and that the discussion would go no further? Of course, confidential conversations with directors must remain so but they aren’t always the environment where you feel that you can discuss how you really want to progress, less so how you would like help to get you get there. A mentor will take an impartial view of the situation but will have the experience to know how things could and should work out.
Improves relationships and builds trust
To know that you are being taken seriously and that you can speak in an encouraging environment is invaluable. With coaching tools that mentors give you, there will be situations at work that would normally be intimidating or irritating that you will able to work through and not let bother you. You will see a bigger picture and undoubtedly build happier and healthier relationships with colleagues at all levels.
These are just a few of the many ways in which mentors can help achieve whatever it is that you would like to get out of life. They will never judge and meeting a mentor, even after the first session, should feel empowering because conversations that start in one direction often lead towards different unexpected paths. These will also unveil the greatest ideas that might have otherwise been left in a drawer gathering dust.
If you would like further information about the accredited coaching that I offer, how it could benefit you or your business, please get in touch here.