Why a mentor is so much more than a business ally
There are so many reasons you need a mentor on your side — and not just to get ahead in your current job…
You might think a mentor is there to help you take the next step in your career. And you would be right to a certain extent. But there is so much more to being mentored than having someone point you towards that next promotion. There are many ways having a mentor can add to your life.
A mentor can …
Help you get motivated
There are some days when you just don’t have the get-up-and-go to give the job your all and don’t have the energy or passion to see the bigger picture. This is where a mentor can help — speaking to someone who has made it can help you rediscover why you embarked on your career in the first place and encourage you to keep on pushing, when money, relationship and general life stress are clouding your brain. They can also give you the drive to succeed by encouraging and praising your progress, when your boss or clients are too busy to notice.
Provide a sympathetic ear when you’re stressed
Ok, so your mentor might not want to hear you ranting on about the fact that your other half refused to take the recycling out (again!). We’re talking about job stress. When work pressure or office politics get on top of you, sometimes it’s valuable to have someone in your field that knows what you’re going through. They’ve probably encountered the exact same pitfalls and downsides of the job themselves but have managed to emerge the other side. A mentor can offer some sound advice or just a sympathetic ear when it all seems too much.
Allow you to expand your social circle
In many cases, a mentor-mentee relationship can develop into a life-long friendship. Not only can they provide life advice as well as career support, but you can have different conversations to the ones you’d have with your other friends or colleagues. Plus, if your mentor is of your parents’ generation, you might end up seeing your parents in a different light and be able to relate to them a little bit more too.
Advise on how to achieve a work-life balance
There’s more to being mentored than getting some basic tips on how to progress in your career. Learning how to balance your career with other commitments, such as having a social life and relationships can ensure you don’t burn out early on in your working life and can allow you to develop as a well-rounded individual — as opposed to a corporate clone.
Provide life-long advice
You might decide on a different career path — or perhaps go part time to focus on family or studying, but that doesn’t mean your mentor can’t still support you. Even those at the top of their game have mentors — notable examples include Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg. Noone is too old or too successful to have someone in their corner, cheering them on in life and helping them navigate its many stumbling blocks.
Now we’ve given you plenty of excuses, find your perfect mentor match over at connectmentors.london
