what is mentorship and why is mentorship important?
WHAT IS MENTORSHIP?
Mentorship is guidance, influence, or direction given to someone from a person who is more experienced. Mentors tend to have more wisdom and life experiences and expertise than those they choose to take under their wing and provide mentorship to. Therefore, they can help prevent people from making similar mistakes they made in their careers.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MENTORSHIP?
Mentors have the capabilities to be the flashlight in the fog of adulthood, career progression, and business. Mentors have trodden down a similar path so can tell you which potholes to avoid and what speed limits to be wary of. It is those who seek mentorship that are most likely to thrive in their career, as they make fewer errors and have the ability and skills necessary to network better.
WHAT IS A MENTOR?
When we think of mentorship, we often think of a senior business professional who can give us a leg up in our career. This can be the case, but we can seek mentorship from those already in our lives; parents, teachers, and older friends can be mentors. All these people have made mistakes in their lives and have learnt from them and can transfer their knowledge to you. I recommend seeking meaningful relationships with those who inspire you and those who you look up to as they can offer you knowledge, which is one of the most valuable things in the world. As you get older you can seek mentorship from colleagues, bosses, or anyone else who has meaningful interactions with you.
WHO CAN MENTOR ME?
Mentorship can be a daunting word and the typical question people have is, “how do I find a mentor?”. Seeking mentorship shouldn’t be a stressful task in your life; it should come more naturally, this is because mentorship is more of an authentic and genuine relationship, rather than a series of transactional meetings. I would suggest thinking about: who do you naturally go to for advice? Whose opinion do you value? And who wants to see you succeed? Whoever comes to mind, this person can be your mentor!
WHAT SHOULD MENTORSHIP LOOK LIKE?
Obtaining a mentor doesn’t have to be a formal sit-down conversation where you ask someone to be your mentor, particularly if this is someone you are already quite friendly with. But it should be a form of relationship-building that extends beyond having fun times together and progresses into providing and receiving professional advice and guidance in your career and life decisions.
SUMMARY
That’s mentorship in a nutshell. Who would you love as your mentor?
