Being a mentor is a two-way street, in more ways than you might think.
Originally published by Stephanie Miller on LinkedIn.
Many successful industry professionals credit mentors in helping them achieve their success. If you're not mentoring, it's a great opportunity not to be missed. Mentoring isn't just useful for the person you're helping, it's great for you in a number of ways. Being a mentor can seriously boost your own career!
Sun Microsystems did a study on the career progress of more than 1,000 employees over a five-year period. People who served as mentors were SIX TIMES more likely to get promoted than those who didn’t, and 20% more likely to receive a pay raise.
I often hear the reasons people give for not volunteering as a mentor. I'm not experienced enough. Work is too busy. I don't have the right skills. These are all excuses, not reasons. We all have valuable experience to share and more insight than we think. Anyone can be a good mentor and find a bit of time to help someone else. Before you say 'no' to mentoring opportunities, consider these top three reasons why you should say 'yes'!
Become a Better Leader
Learning how to work with someone outside your network, demonstrating patience with people seeking advice, helping someone else figure out the best path forward: all traits of a top leader and key skills honed through mentoring. Being a mentor is a great chance to become a role model. You'll be challenged to stay at the top of your game to provide up-to-date advice. Mentees will learn from how you write emails, articulate your ideas and manage your decision-making processes. Mentoring can also inspire you to stay relevant by speaking to the next generation of rising stars and understanding how they think and act.
Advance Your Career
Mentoring is a unique opportunity to step outside your normal circle and learn new things. The more experienced you get, the more of a bubble you tend to feel comfortable in. Your mentee will have different skill sets and areas of knowledge. New perspectives lead to fresh ideas for your own career. Being a mentor also requires you to exercise your emotional intelligence. You will be assessing the goals of another person and responding with empathy. Emotional intelligence is a key trait for career advancement. Another bonus of volunteering as a mentor? Practicing your management skills. If you haven’t overseen other staff yet this is a huge plus. If you’re already an experienced manager, you’ll have the opportunity to challenge your current management approach and perspectives.
Learn More About Your Company or Industry
Let’s pretend you’re the head of marketing for example. You’ve climbed the corporate ladder, you have the qualifications, and you know everything there is to know about the marketing initiatives of your business. What do you know about the challenges, aspirations and responsibilities of other teams and companies? Mentoring can be a very smart way of gaining insight into what goes on in areas of your business or industry that you’ve never been involved with before. This will enable you to make sounder, more holistic decisions when it comes to your own career path.
If you’re looking to future proof your career and want to contribute to the success of others, find a mentoring opportunity. You’ll be happy you did — and so will those you assist. Whether you decide to become a mentor through the UTS Professional Mentoring Program or some other way, the key is to take initiative and start sharing your experience. When you decide to mentor someone, if you guide the next great leader or simply help someone with their resume, you'll make a positive difference and that's all that matters.