6 Benefits of a Mentor & How They Make Your Community Stronger
Wouldn’t it be nice to spend time with someone who understood the ins and outs of what you were trying to learn? Whether it’s bread baking, computer programming, playing college sports, or repairing engines, that’s exactly what mentorship is all about. It’s receiving guidance about something from someone more experienced. Working with a mentor is a best next step if you’re feeling stuck. Below are just a few benefits of a mentor.
Mentors provide practical knowledge
You can learn a lot from a book or from listening in on a college lecture. You can quickly grasp a high level view of any topic this way, from the history to the current state to the projected future. Or learn all the formulas and where all the pieces best fit. But for practical, hands-on learning, there’s no better source than to learn from someone who is currently in the midst of doing it well. This is one of the key benefits of mentorship!
When you combine book learning with the practical, hands-on knowledge a mentor provides, your growth in any field can skyrocket.
Mentors help you grow
These days, you can learn from books, podcasts and online courses. A quick google search will return pages and pages of possibilities! But these learning tools won’t answer that question that’s been quibbling in your ear for the past week. A mentor can respond in the moment and provide an invaluable perspective. This personalized viewpoint helps you grow more and faster than any online course.
Mentors hold you accountable
A mentor has the unique perspective of knowing exactly what it takes to succeed in the area for which you’re being mentored. One of the benefits of a mentor is that they’re practical and focused. They can help you set specific goals for growth and then keep you accountable to those goals.
And if you miss a deadline or are struggling to reach a goal, they’ll help you identify your sticking point and help clear the way to get you moving forward again. They are also great at helping you adjust your attitude and perspective.
Mentors listen
A mentor is invested in your success and eager to see you reach it. So when you’re working through a problem, they’ll listen and help you process your decisions or hangups. Because they know what it takes to get where they are, they can share lessons they’ve learned along the way, and warn about pitfalls for you to avoid.
They’ll ask questions about your plans for the future and can help you in your college search. They can help you uncover a new career.
Mentors encourage
After you get through the thrill of the initial learning phase, it’s common to get overwhelmed at all there is to understand. After this false high, confidence may plummet. You may get stuck in the valley of frustration. A good mentor will encourage you to keep digging in so you can get past the frustration of being overwhelmed and appreciate the true high of success. With time and practice, as your mentor has already learned, the hard things become easier.
Mentors help set expectations
You may enter your mentorship with high motivation and a vision of becoming a pro in a specific amount of time. Your mentor will help you set realistic expectations for yourself. Not only does this prevent burnout from going too hard too fast, it keeps you moving forward as a steady pace that establishes patterns and habits for a lifetime of success.
Mentors help build community by making the individuals in it better. They build connections, introducing their mentees to knew thoughts, information, and often other people! They challenge their mentees towards more expansive thinking. All of these pieces increase the expectations and performance, making our community a more pleasant place to live.
How to find a mentor
We offer mentorship programs for people of all ages. Whether you’re focused on increasing your athletic ability, trying to figure out your path after high school, or want to move into a new phase of your business, we can help. There’s no end to the benefits of a mentor. Contact us to learn more.