Why Mentors Matter
By Pat Krause
Often, when people think of mentoring, they think about it from a work or career perspective; however, it is actually important to build relationships and seek mentors from a young age. Having a mentor can benefit you by helping you grow as a person, learn more about the world, and find new ways to thrive in your life.
What is a Mentor?
A mentor is someone who has experiences or knowledge about things that you want to learn more about. They can also be someone whose career, achievements, or character you admire. Mentors share their experiences and wisdom with you so that you can learn from them, grow as an individual, and avoid mistakes they made. Through conversations with mentors, you can make better and more informed choices.
Why do mentors matter for your life?
Mentors can serve as a sounding board for your ideas by providing honest feedback and constructive criticism to help you improve. While providing feedback is sometimes difficult to both receive and give, it is often also where the most personal growth occurs. I had a mentor who gave me some very personal feedback on what was holding me back in my career and while it took a little time to process it, it was valuable advice. I worked on the points she brought up and that helped me receive a promotion to a new job I wanted.
Mentors can provide a supportive environment where you can grow into your potential and can help you navigate life changes. Think of them as an advisor, teacher, and cheerleader all rolled into one. Keep in mind that, while a mentor isn’t all powerful and might not have an answer for all of your questions, they can often direct you on how to find answers.
Mentoring can help you develop soft skills like good communication, problem solving, and empathy. Through a mentorship relationship, you can find your voice and become more comfortable with sharing your thoughts and opinions. You can learn about getting along with others, dealing with conflict, and becoming a confident leader. These kinds of soft skills can be used in your personal life now and later in any profession.
Mentors can introduce you to other people who can enrich your life. You can develop a network that can help you accomplish your goals.
A mentor can help you find what jobs might be a good fit for you and help you explore different options to accomplish your professional goals. The great thing about using a mentor for career exploration is that they can give you an insider’s view of the professional world and answer your specific questions - something you won’t get by just doing online research.
Your Role in a Mentoring Relationship
A mentoring relationship isn’t all about listening and learning. You have to put effort into the relationship to get something out of it. Don’t expect your mentor to do all the talking and all the work. You’ll need to engage in self-reflection and identify your objectives for the relationship so that your mentor can understand how to help you. If you are using a mentor for career or college purposes, it is important to also do research on your own regarding where and what you want to study, and, ultimately, what you want to be when you grow up.
How to Find A Mentor
Start by thinking about what kind of help you’d like to get from a mentor. Think about what you’d like to learn and what kinds of connections you’d like to make. Then, think about the individuals you already know through family, school, work, extracurricular, and volunteer activities, as well as friends and neighbors. Some schools offer mentoring programs that pair students with mentors in the community; you can reach out to school staff to see if this is a service your school provides.
You can also talk to local nonprofits to see if they offer mentoring programs. For example, the mission of the organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to “create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.”
You might be surprised to find most people love to share their experiences, advice, and help others. Don’t be afraid to approach someone you admire and ask for advice or to be your mentor.
In addition, you don’t have to have just one mentor. You could have mentors in a variety of areas you are interested in exploring. For example, you could have one for your personal life, another for your professional life, and another to help you learn a specific skill.
Finally, keep in mind that, as with anything new you try, you may have to experiment to find the right mentors for you. It is important that you don’t give up if your first attempt is not successful.
Finding a Mentor Is Worth It
If you stick with it, find the right mentors, and invest in the relationships, you’ll find that mentors will benefit you both in your personal life and later as you choose a career and learn to thrive in your professional life.
You just might be surprised at how much you get from asking the simple question, “ What is your advice?”.
