Mentors, why you should get one or be one.
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” –Oprah Winfrey
Everyone knows what a mentor is. The mentor has more experience than the apprentice and provides insight and knowledge to the protégé. I have a few people in my life that have provided me with mentorship. James Hodgins, one of those who have mentored me, actually encouraged me to take part in The Next Great Generation.
James is the Director of Social Media at The Price Group, one of the agencies I am interning at. One day I was discussing DVR at work and the subject got a little heated, James suggested I write a blog and he would consider posting it on the company’s Web site. It was heavily edited, but he gave me the podium and dared me to be bold. It had a great response and led me to write another blog for the Price Group. Since then he has assisted me in all my writing endeavors and helped me to realize one must communicate to his/her audience.
Not only the mentees, but the mentors benefit as well, by strengthening their leadership skills and developing a contact with future CEOs or VPs. The interns of today are the CEOs and Presidents of tomorrow. When the mentorship is in a business setting the company benefits soon. Inexperienced new hires may not know the culture of the company or the preferences of a client. The mentorship will provide the company with better employee relationships while making sure the new hire gains background knowledge of the clientele and the corporate culture.
I lucked out and stumbled into a mentor-esque relationship, but some people may be more successful be seeking theirs out. I would not recommend seeking out a mentor until you are sure that you could potentially pursue this career. When choosing a mentor, there are several things to consider. The two most important for me are that the mentor and protégé have similar goals and are on similar career paths. One should see in their mentor what they would like to be one day. By observing and being instructed they can decide to continue with their career path or take a different direction. This will save the company and the protégé time and potentially produce a more qualified and happy employee.
The blog: Five questions every mentor must ask provides some great insights:
1. What is it that you really want to be and do?
2. What are you doing really well that is helping you get there?
3. What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there?
4. What will you do differently tomorrow to meet those challenges?
5. How can I help / where do you need the most help?
Here are a few questions I think that every student should ask when considering a mentor:
1. How did you get started, was this your original career path?
2. What is the best and worst part of your job?
3. What kind of requirements must be filled to obtain this job?
4. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
5. What advice would you give someone considering this career path?
People say our generation is flighty, this may be true, but if a company were to put out a minimal amount of effort they may have better employee retention among our generation. Companies that are looking for long term employees should implement an interoffice mentorship program. I can’t guarantee it will work, but any job that I have kept for an extended time period has been due to my work relationships – not amazing working conditions or great pay.
Photo Credit: tulanesally
Great post. I had a similar article on my PR at Sunrise Blog – worob.com
@Worob
Excellent post. I remember all the people who helped me and gave me advice (as well as those who still do). That makes all the difference in my life. I'm glad I could pass it on.
I agree, having a mentor is great. Not sure you can “get” one though. In my experience in advertising, I was very lucky. Every creative director I worked for not only had a lot to offer, but knew how to share it. Without hese people, there is no way in hell I would have been able to become an ECD in ten years. But, did I “get” these people, did I seek them out? I did not. I simply recognized that their advice to me was good advice and I sought out as much of it as I could.
One little thing I would add to this whole mentor discussion is to only value those who will give you good news and bad. There is no value, ZERO, in a relationship free of conflict, dissent, and occasional hurt feelings.
I agree, Jeff, it's hard to just, “get one,” I could have phrased the title better. It is like you said though, you have to seek these people out. I definitely bug James for help all the time, I just lucked out that he enjoys it.