Whether for personal growth or career goals, mentors play a valuable role in the lives of people looking to achieve new and higher levels of success. Similar to coaches and teachers, mentors guide less-experienced people through the learning process by establishing trust and modeling positive behaviors. Many mentors choose to help others because they understand the value of their knowledge and experience and are available to pass it on to anyone willing and ready to take it up.
Here are reasons why you need to find yourself a mentor:
1. Personal Growth – Mentors look for ways to encourage personal growth. Once they understand your skills and abilities, they may put you to work on a specific task to see how well you perform. Based on your performance, they might give you another challenge to test you or give you detailed feedback on what you did well and what you may need to improve upon. Mentors look for teaching moments that help you grow along the way.
2. Provide Knowledge – Mentors are valuable sources of knowledge. Whether you are starting a business, or changing careers, mentors have experienced similar milestones. Choose mentors who will give you the best insight into your current phase of life or career level. Because they have already been through it, they’ll provide advice on issues to be help you become more efficient.
3. Gain new perspective and ideas – Working with a mentor can be life-changing because it helps you to understand who you are and what you want to become. While mentors are not therapists, they help promote feelings of awareness and discovery that only come through conscious effort. Once you’ve had an experience with a mentor, you may want to share your experiences with others too, which helps you become a better leader yourself and provides you with new perspectives on life.
4. Broaden Professional Network – Mentors commonly offer to share their network
connections with their mentees. When you enlist the help of a mentor, you increase your chances for new professional contacts, which may lead you to new opportunities. If your mentor plans to attend business conferences and seminars with you, show your interest in meeting new contacts.
5. Keep you motivated – Your mentor is there to remind you that you have the skills to succeed. They’re there to boost you, keep you motivated, and keep your spirits up! Having a mentor by your side means that you’ll also receive an objective and unbiased point of view, someone making sure you’re going in the right direction and that you’ll succeed.
Have you ever had a mentor? How did you find it and would you like to share your experience in the comment section below?
COCA INSIGHTS
