Role of a Mentor
Mentorship is the act or process of helping and supporting another person in their personal development.
The purpose of a mentor is to help you grow as a person and work through difficult life circumstances together. This may involve helping you overcome life obstacles, providing insight and support, walking with you through difficult life situations, celebrate successes with you achieve your personal goals, and much more.
What makes a good mentor?
- Asking good questions
- Showing empathy
- Being encouraging and supportive
- Self-awareness
- A personable demeanor
- Giving constructive and honest feedback
- Passion for helping
Why become a mentor?
People choose to mentor others because it's a valuable experience; seeing somebody grow and overcome life situations is highly rewarding. There are many benefits of mentoring for the mentor as well as the mentee, such as working through difficult life situations and developing a stronger sense of community.
Harvard Business Review conducted a study and found that people who served as mentors also experienced lower levels of anxiety, and described their life as more fulfilling and meaningful.
Why have a mentor?
Having a mentor connects one individual with knowledge and experience in specific areas with someone who hasn’t gained the same knowledge or experience—yet. By having someone who knows more than yourself share advice, offer guidance and be a sounding board for your thoughts, you can hear about experience beyond your own.
Having a mentor can be extremely helpful to all of our continued growth and development.
