Three Benefits of Mentorship (and Keys for Successful Mentoring)
In honor of the FGPM Mentorship Program launch, this week’s Article is all about the mentoring and how have a successful mentorship pairing.
While we know that mentorship provides guidance for young professionals as they navigate their careers, mentorship also allows established leaders to glean valuable insight into the next generation of professionals. It is important to see mentorship as a two-way relationship which provides encouragement and accountability by both participants. This Article discusses three benefits of mentorship and how to get the most out of your mentorship experience.
1. Learning to Listen
Effective listening is an important professional skill to develop at any stage of your career.
Mentorship is an opportunity to both give and receive information that is valuable to both participants. “Mentees want to learn, so mentors might feel compelled to steer conversations to their experiences. That’s helpful at times. But effective mentors listen first, enabling them to discern a mentee’s needs and deliver thoughtful responses.” (1). By listening carefully to your mentees career goals and challenges, mentors are able to share effective, consistent advice.
2. Building confidence
The mentorship process also allows both participants to build confidence in their skills.
Mentors will share their best advice for mentees to excel in the workplace, including valuable avenues to grow their career or influence. “When you help your mentee succeed, you can gain confidence in your skills and abilities. It demonstrates that you have qualities that support others' improvement or development.” (2) Further, mentees will help their mentors build leadership skills and hone their abilities to deliver feedback, both important ways to develop confidence.
“By taking on the role of a mentor, you’ll gain valuable insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a leader as you go through the dynamic process of teaching and exchanging ideas with your mentee. You’ll also develop confidence and empathy in a way that allows you to better lead a team in the future.” (3).
3. Sharing cross-generational perspectives
Mentorship programs, especially within a corporate environment, can provide opportunities for every employee to contribute new ideas and generational expertise. “Dozens of companies employ reverse mentoring programs to tap into the Millennial and Gen-Z expertise of technology, social media and evolving workplace norms. Reverse mentoring can make organizations more diverse, more inclusive and more digitally savvy. It helps build more creative and innovative organizations and energizes emerging leaders.” (1).
Mentorship also provides a space for mentors to share valuable institutional knowledge, historical information, or key relationships. This discussion facilitates reflection on current processes and ensures the next workforce generation does not repeat the mistakes of the past.
As you begin your mentoring relationship, consider two keys to success:
commitment and compatibility.
“Transformational mentoring describes a relationship that offers something powerful to both the mentee and the mentor — and it requires an equal amount of work from both. As a mentee, the trick to fully engaging your mentor lies in finding the right person: someone with whom you can build a relaxed, inspiring camaraderie, driven by curiosity as opposed to the binary instructor-student exchange we normally teach.” (4).
Learn more about the FGPM Mentorship Program here.
Citations
Logemann, Robert. “Embracing Mentorship: How Veteran Leaders Can Be Better Mentors—And Mentees.” Forbes, Forbes Business Council, 21 Mar. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/21/embracing-mentorship-how-veteran-leaders-can-be-better-mentors-and-mentees/?sh=cce6b670e6d9.
Birt, Jamie. “24 Reasons Why Mentorship Is Important for Mentee and Mentor.” 24 Reasons Why Mentorship Is Important for Mentee and Mentor, Indeed Careers, 30 Sept. 2022, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-is-a-mentor-important.
Adam, Jamela. “How Mentorship Can Benefit Both the Mentor and the Mentee.” U.S. News - Careers, 24 Feb. 2023, https://money.usnews.com/careers/articles/how-mentorship-can-benefit-both-the-mentor-and-the-mentee.
Nour, David. “The Best Mentorships Help Both People Grow.” Harvard Business Review, 5 Jan. 2022, https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-best-mentorships-help-both-people-grow.
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