What is mentoring?
Before we can effectively look at the benefits you can derive from mentoring programs, it is first essential to understand what mentoring really is. Mentoring is simply the process wherein people are helped by a person or an organization for their personal and professional development. The person who is doing the supporting role is called the “mentor” while the person being supported is called the “mentee”. This relationship may sometimes because complex because there are many types of mentors, just as there is many types of people. You can expect the mentor to be somewhere between being a “trusted friend” and a “counselor”. But how exactly, can a mentor be defined? Well, we came up with several categories; your mentor will most likely fall into one of these categories. Read on to know what kind of mentor you should choose and which ones you should avoid:
1. The crowding mentor
This is the type of mentor who seems to be ignorant of the term, “personal space”. This mentor may not necessarily be your choice but he or she was assigned to you by your organization.
2. The impossible mentor
Meanwhile, the impossible mentor is simply someone who you are not comfortable being with no matter what you do or what the mentor does.
3. The younger mentor
In some cases, you might encounter a mentor who is younger than you. You might be more experienced than he is on work-related matters but this mentor was assigned to help you nonetheless. You find it difficult to take such a young mentor seriously though.
4. The ardent researcher
Your mentor would be someone who puts a big emphasis on academic research and theories. While this characteristic may not be a fault in itself, you might discover that it is hard to schedule important meetings with this mentor because he always outs research as his priority. In addition, this type of mentor might not believe that teaching the mentee is important so you are low in his priority.
What does a mentor actually do?
So after you know the type of mentors you should avoid, it is time to take a deeper look at what a good mentor should actually do:
• Be available for a chat over the telephone or face-to-face contact
• Be optimistic about the mentoring program and the development process of the mentees
• Help mentees feel good about their achievements
• Help mentees stick to deadlines and schedules
• Know someone who can aid their mentees when there are cases that they can’t
• Aid the mentees in their work plan. For example, they should help the mentees write realistic goals, deadlines, and the strategy on how these can be achieved.
• Give feedback on the work. They should give their opinions about the mentee’s performance so that the mentee will know which areas they should improve on.
• Help the mentees look at the feedback of other people. The mentees should take a serious look at the opinions of other people so they can determine their weaknesses.
• Make learning possible for the mentees. The mentors should provide the necessary resources such as time, effort, and space so that their mentees can learn even during their day-to-day work.
• Motivate their mentees. The simply act of asking how a person is doing is an act of asking how a person is doing can be motivation for them to improve their performance.
Mentoring programs establish the self-confidence and the self-assurance of a mentee who uses it as a tool for personal and professional development. There are certainly many benefits you can expect from joining a mentoring program because you will learn from someone who has the necessary experience to coach you on what you have to do. Some of the benefits of mentoring include:
• Becoming a standout
• Leadership abilities
• Working smarter, not harder
These benefits may sound simple, but when you translate it in real life, you can definitely feel that mentoring is one of the best options to succeed in your career. Mentoring is actually a two-way relationship and both the mentor and the mentee will learn something from the mentoring program. Primarily though, mentoring programs are designed to enhance the capabilities of the mentee.
At the start of any mentoring programs, both the mentor and the mentee are encouraged to clarify their goals and expectations from the program. They need to create a well-designed plan and follow a specific course of action. There are a lot of cases wherein the mentoring program far exceeded the expectations of the mentee because the program provided the following as well:
• An insider’s realistic perspective on his career goals and progress
• Clearer understanding of his career plans
• Exposure to varied experiences and perspectives
• Access to powerful sources of information
• Access to resources within the industry
• Greater knowledge about yourself and your goals
• A wider network of contacts
• Identification of any lacking skill that is required for career advancement
• Establishment of a foundation for a lasting professional career
• Access to a support system during the critical stages of your career growth
But the mentor would not be able to do everything for you; you need to help yourself as well. You need to do this by listening to the mentor’s ideas and suggestions, try implementing these suggestions if you feel that these can help you in your career. It is also essential for you to listen to the feedback of others especially the opinion of the mentor during this critical time so that you can adjust to the situation accordingly. In addition, you should have set realistic expectations from what you hope to achieve from the mentoring program because it is difficult to have impossible goals and then expect the mentor to help you achieve these objectives.
You likewise need to have the willingness to learn and adapt to the different situations you might be facing at work. The mentor is simply the person you should count on for advice and suggestions about the path you should take. Mentoring should not be seen as the easy way out; rather, it should be seen as a tool that will help you grow further in your career and on your personal life.
And these objectives are only possible if you learn to believe in yourself and know that you are capable of doing great things in your life. Mentoring programs can help you reach this state and once you are at this point, it would be inevitable for you to enjoy the fruits of your success. As you can see, while the mentor will provide you with guidance during the mentoring program, your success is entirely up to you.
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