Mentorship is not a one-way street. People of any age, expertise, or experience can benefit from both being, and having a mentor. Mentees have as much to contribute as mentors do; this is why reverse mentoring works. As much as 84% of a study’s participants have said that mentoring relationships provide two-way inspiration for both the mentor and mentee.
To further prove our point, here are some important statistics that mentors have shared:
- Individuals who have mentored others experienced lower anxiety levels and have found their jobs more meaningful as compared to those who have never been a mentor
- 89% of people who have mentored in the past are excited to mentor someone else
So what mentor benefits can one expect from a mentoring relationship? You can read more about it in this article.
What are the Benefits of Being a Mentor?
Most of the time, mentors are people who have built up a wealth of knowledge and experience in the workplace. They have gained the hard work needed to excel at their jobs yet are eager to share that knowledge with mentees.
But it’s not enough that they spoon-feed the answers to their mentees. A good mentor will probe a mentee and allow them to bring their ideas to the table. They also allow their mentees to make mistakes so they can learn from them. As we pointed out in a previous article, an effective mentor makes mentoring mindset shifts to adopt the Servant Leadership philosophy. Only then can they do their role as a mentor without any biases.
But what’s in it for them? How does being a great mentor benefit them personally? We’ve listed down some benefits that mentors get from a mentoring relationship.
This is key: A mentor doesn’t have to be a senior exec or experienced people leader. Subject matter experts and people with recent experience acclimatising to the workforce can be terrific mentors for specific programs or recent graduates
Mentor Benefit 1: They Become Better Leaders
Mentors can naturally develop the skills needed to become effective leaders as they guide their mentees through their journey. Mentors who have been supported correctly will understand when to guide, coach or be directive.
It teaches mentors how to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the mentees, how to bring out the best in them, how to be supportive and give sound advice, how to be diplomatic, and how to bring out change in themselves.
Mentorship prepares mentors so they can be capable of managing large groups in the future. A study found that mentoring relationships empower mentors and build their confidence. The experience in the program helps equip mentors on how to be effective leaders in the organisation someday.
Mentor Benefit 2: They Develop Listening Skills
Mentors develop their listening skills by engaging in mentoring programs since they listen to the struggles of their mentees. A dedicated mentor will carefully listen to what the mentee says and analyse how best to encourage and give feedback to them. And to get more information, mentors have to ask more questions before answering. They gain knowledge from their own experiences on the job and share this with their mentees.
Mentor Benefit 3: They Earn a New Perspective on Things
After being in a job or the same industry for a certain period of time, people tend to develop blind spots or tunnel vision in their field. They tend to focus exclusively on their job or have a limited point of view. But when they start mentoring, intently listening to the mentee can give them a new perspective on things. Mentoring relationships give both the mentor and the mentee two-way inspiration. They get to see the bigger picture outside of things that are limited to their own view. This also gives them fresh insight from someone who recently came from school. It also helps them get up-to-date with the current and latest information, technologies, and best practices used in the industry.
Mentor Benefit 4: They Get a Sense of Purpose and are Happier at Their Jobs
A survey has revealed that employees who serve as mentors have greater job satisfaction and career success. They tend to get a sense of purpose from mentoring someone in the workplace as their mentee applies the knowledge they’ve imparted to them. This lets them get a sense of joy as they are able to help someone else.
Mentor Benefit 5: They Improve Their Empathy Skills
As mentors listen to their mentees, they start to put themselves in the shoes of their mentees. Even though they have not yet encountered a similar situation, they can carefully analyse the event and how they would react to it. Their mentees get to value their input on the matter since they are sharing an outsider’s perspective. It helps the mentees know how to move past this challenge in a way that they normally wouldn’t react with.
Mentor Benefit 6: They Can Communicate Better
The secret to any relationship is healthy communication. In mentorship programs, the same holds true: the only way a program can be successful is when the mentor and mentee are able to communicate properly with one another. The exchange of information and provision of tailored advice can help both parties as they improve their communication skills. As mentors get to practice their listening skills in mentorship, they are able to express their thoughts in a way that their mentees can accept without prejudice and guilt.
Mentor Benefit 7: They Build Authentic Relationships
Successful mentoring relationships (with alignment on personality and values) naturally form authentic, strong relationships. It is normal for mentors and mentees to remain in contact long after the mentoring relationship has ended. But this isn’t always the case. It’s beautiful when such relationships blossom out of a successful mentoring program, but it is not something that happens every time. The relationship needs to form on its own and without any expectations. This can only happen when there is mutual respect and gratitude between the two parties. And with a positive experience, 89% of mentees go on to mentor others, which builds a cycle of mentoring in the organisation.
Bonus Mentor Benefit: They Increase Their Chances for a Raise
According to a study, 28% of mentors had a salary grade change compared to 5% among those who were not engaged in a mentoring program. The same study found that mentors increase their chances of promotion by six times. Although it is not always guaranteed, it is good to know that organisations see the hard work that mentors put into mentoring.
The Bottom Line
Mentoring is a satisfying and rewarding experience for mentors. While they may not necessarily see a salary increase or promotion, seeing their mentee succeed in life can make them feel fulfilled in their role. And this, at its core, is a priceless feeling that nothing can replace.
Of course, the trick is to make suitable mentor-mentee matches in the organisation. One way this can be achieved is through science-based mentoring software that matches participants through their values and personality. Reach out to Brancher today for a demo of how participants are matched with its unique mentoring platform.
Resources:
- Vivian Lewis, Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York. (2016, July). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mentoring Interventions for Underrepresented Minorities. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4925237/
- Dimmock, Liz. (2017, September 7). Moving Ahead. New UK research: Mentoring is improving gender balance in organisations. https://www.women-ahead.org/press/turning-the-dial
- Gill, Michael, Roulet, Thomas. (2019, March 1). Harvard Business Review. Stressed at Work? Mentoring a Colleague Could Help. https://hbr.org/2019/03/stressed-at-work-mentoring-a-colleague-could-help
- McCarthy mentoring. (2017, May). Why mentoring: what the stats say. https://mccarthymentoring.com/why-mentoring-what-the-stats-say/
- Wronski, Laura, Cohen, Jon. (2019, July 16). SurveyMonkey, CNBC. Nine in 10 workers who have a career mentor say they are happy in their jobs. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/16/nine-in-10-workers-who-have-a-mentor-say-they-are-happy-in-their-jobs.html
- Knowledge at Wharton Podcast. (2007, May 16). Workplace Loyalties Change, but the Value of Mentoring Doesn’t. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/workplace-loyalties-change-but-the-value-of-mentoring-doesnt/