What’s it Like To Be a Mentor?

January 8, 2024 / Faculty/Staff Highlights

January is national mentorship month! As we celebrate one of the most important features of career advancement, we know navigating a path forward requires resourcefulness and being involved in a mentoring process can be key to your success! 

What’s it like being a mentor?

Here are a few ways being a mentor can be beneficial: 

  1. It can help boost your interpersonal skills, improve your communication, enhance your collaborative skills and provide opportunities for practice.
  2. It can enhance to your qualifications, demonstrate your expertise and increase your leadership potential. 
  3. It builds confidence and a sense of reward from helping a mentee, and it can boost your self-worth and self advocacy in the workplace. 
  4. It improves your sense of engagement and energy to work with a mentee who is excited to work with you providing a benefit on both sides.
  5. It provides a sense of self-reflection; as you think about and share your experiences, you may discover lessons that benefit both you and your mentee.
  6. It gives new perspectives and an opportunity to network outside your typical circles, discover new ideas and new approaches leading to more innovation and creativity in your work.

Finding the right mentee
When the chemistry is right, mentorship is incredibly valuable!  So, how do you find the right mentee? Typically, the process can involve determining what you can give and what you want out of the relationship. Start searching within the institution, reach out to your existing network such as colleagues, peers or former students, or join formal mentoring programs. A healthy mentoring relationship involves interest on both ends and clear communication early on.

Sources:  HBR, What Mentors Wish Their Mentees Knew; HBR, A Better Approach to Mentorship and Indeed, Why Is a Mentor Important? 

 #WeLoveMentorshipMonth! 

Look for more on mentoring during National Mentoring Month. Reach out to Laëtitia Gnago, LGnago@nvcc.edu, with questions.

Submitted by:
Latoya Garrison Ford, Career Connection, LGarrison@nvcc.edu