We
grew up under the supervision of our parents and teachers. We always had
someone to teach us the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. We
always had someone to turn to in times of need. Now that we have grown up, our
parents and teachers have let us go. They have given us the liberty to think
and make decisions on our own. We appreciate the freedom for sure but there are
times even in adulthood when we need some sustenance, some encouragement, and
some advice to make the right decisions.
Enter Mentors.
Definition of Mentorship
Mentorship
is a positive relationship between a highly experienced person and a person who
is looking to gain experience. Mentorship is about guidance, advice, and support.
Advantages of Mentorship
The
mentor helps the mentee walk on the right track by providing expert counsel,
tips, and assistance. A mentor, in short, can be defined as a teacher or a wise
counsellor.
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Guidance:
Mentors have a lot of working experience, which means that they are aware of
the environment into which you have just entered. Excellent mentors know what
to expect, how to overcome challenges, and how to avoid mistakes. They use that
experience to guide their mentees in the right direction. They say that lessons
are best learnt from first-hand experience but in business today, when times
are stringently tough, you can’t afford to make mistakes and then learn from
them. Mentors will guide you and help you so that your inexperience does not
stymie your business growth.
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Support:
Starting off on your own is a huge step. You know the gravity of it because you
are facing the challenge. People around you may not realize that. For many
people, what others do seems like a piece of cake. This is where the lack of
support can bother you. Not being able to find someone who understands your
position, your insecurity, and your fears of starting anew can be discouraging.
Mentors will help fill that gap by providing you a shoulder. They will hear you
out and offer compassion so that you know that there is someone who understands
your situation.
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Advice:
During tough times and when you have to take decisions, you may feel
pressurized because you are not sure what to do. You may feel uncertain because
you don’t know whom to trust and what action to take. There are a number of
aspects in business in which you will feel the need to turn to an expert and
take advice so that you head in the right path. Mentors will help exactly with
that. Right from setting realistic goals to executing those goals, mentors will
advice you wisely at every step as and when you need it.
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Life
Teachings: Along with helping you on the professional front, mentors
understand the person you are and help you evolve as an individual. Support
and motivation are extremely important not just
professionally but also personally. You may feel the lack of motivation when
things go wrong or sometimes you just want to talk to someone who understands
you. During such times, you have the mentor to turn to who you trust and who is
around not just to tell you where you went wrong and how to make amends, but is
there to also show you all the right things that you have done, giving you a
much needed encouragement and a pat at the back too!
Mentorship Programs for Employees
Just
like you feel the need for guidance, direction and a word of encouragement at
times, your employees may need that too. Of course, they may have peers and
family to share with but unless they are in the same working field,
understanding the problem is difficult. When employees are not at peace, their
work gets affected. Understanding and addressing this need of your team can
save a lot of hard times. And this is exactly why many businesses have started
mentorship programs for employees. Workplace mentorship has been proven to
boost productivity of employees through positive reinforcement.
Mentorship cannot be taught or learnt, it is
a discipline that ripens only with experience. Every good mentor has loads of
experience to back himself and he speaks from what life taught him over the
course of many years. This doesn’t mean that one doesn’t trip and stumble with
a mentor around; Mentorship more importantly helps you to learn from an
experience, recover faster and move on. Every mentor-mentee relationship will
be unique depending on business objectives, individual preferences and styles;
but the goal is always one: to share a common vision and work towards building
a success story.
Sanjay Prasad
Entrepreneur & Mentor
