What Makes a Great Mentor and the Importance of Having One - Bill Keyes
Mentoring is a professional necessity, a trusted bond, and a meaningful commitment. Mentoring can in fact be traced back to ancient Greece as a method used to impact young men on important social, spiritual, and personal values. Mentorship, as we know it today, is loosely based on this historical practice of youngsters learning their trade by shadowing their seniors.
I recently read an article published in Forbes, What Makes A Great Mentor, And The Importance Of Having One, by Paramita Bhattacharya. As the name suggests, the article lists the benefits of mentoring and what makes a good mentor.
“Today’s business landscape is complex and changing. Navigating and maneuvering it is critical. And a combination of soft and hard skills is often at the heart of this. Having a mentor, usually a person who has more experience, provides an opportunity to glean an understanding of the best ways to accomplish this.”
“Generally, a good mentor is someone who is motivated and energized, cares about developing others, and is willing to commit their time. At the same time, if you are a mentee, make sure to dedicate the time and energy necessary to be mentored properly. It’s most effective when there is a good match between the mentor and mentee — whether that be in backgrounds, skill sets, experiences, roles or facing similar challenges.”
“Companies and organizations stand much better chances of advancing and achieving positive business outcomes when they help build leaders at every level. Mentorship is a great pathway for enhancing employee skills, advocating toward organization-wide diversity, and driving the desired impact of corporate culture with far-reaching impact on employee development.”
You can read the original article here.
