5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Mentoring Others

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When we talk of the benefits to mentoring, it is almost always seen as a clear benefit to the mentee (the individual being mentored), and yet it is important to recognise that mentoring others comes with a whole host of fantastic benefits too. At PushFar, we have created the world’s largest and fastest-growing free mentoring platform, so, we thought we would today highlight five key reasons why you should consider mentoring other people and helping with career progression.

1. Improve Your Interpersonal Skills
When we mentor others, we can dramatically improve our interpersonal skills. Mentees will typically approach us with challenges they face and look to us to help guide and support. And whilst mentors, unlike coaches, are not expected to know all the answers, mentors need to be able to convey experiences and offer advice effectively. Even if you aren’t an expert communicator to begin with, mentoring others will help you to improve your skills (often subconsciously) over time.

2. Widen Understanding of Different Roles & Jobs
You don’t have to mentor someone with the same role on even in the same industry as you. In fact, in some instances mentoring those outside your industry and role can be even more effective. Depending on the type of support a prospective mentee is looking for, having a mentor who can offer external and separate guidance from the typical ‘bubble’ we inhabit in our career can be fantastic. If you mentor someone in a different role, industry or organisation you will be amazed at how much you learn about things outside your own career bubble.

3. Keep up to date with Future Trends
Now, this one might not be relevant to all mentors, but if you are mentoring someone younger than you, it is highly likely that you will learn more about future trends, technologies, working ways and much more, by the very fact that you are mentoring someone of a different generation. Even if only referenced in passing in discussions, picking up on trends from future generations will stand you in incredible stead.

4. Re-enforce Effective Working Techniques
When mentoring someone, it is highly likely that you will be imparting wisdom from your own working experiences and sharing ‘this is what I would recommend doing…’ advice. We often know the best and most effective ways to work and tackle challenges, but we can sometimes forget to actually carry them out ourselves. By advising your mentee on certain approaches, working techniques and guidance, you will be re-enforcing this for yourself too.

5. The ‘Feel Good’ Factor
Yes, this is perhaps a given, but it is not one to be underestimated. The ‘feel good’ factor of mentoring someone is an awesome one! If you are able to help someone with career development and progression, then why wouldn’t you? The skills and experiences you have developed in your own career could be a huge help to someone just entering the workplace for the first time or struggling with challenges you might have previously faced. You will find it extremely rewarding to mentor people. So, if you have the opportunity to mentor someone - do it!

There we have it. Five top reasons why you should consider mentoring others. Remember, even if you only have 6-months or a year’s worth of working experience, then it is still six months more than someone who has just started their first role. At PushFar we believe everyone has something to offer and we can all be effective mentors. So, if you would like to mentor others why not check out our mentoring guidelines here and sign up free to PushFar’s mentoring platform here.