Image credit: Jing Xi Lau from Unsplash
The concept of mentoring is not a new one. In fact, the idea dates back 2000 years to Homer's epic poem, The Iliad. If your knowledge of ancient Greek poetry is a little dusty, here's a brief recap:
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, disguises herself as Mentor to act as both a teacher and guardian to Odysseus' son, Telemachus. Under Mentor's (Athena's) guidance and wisdom, Odysseus and with his son by his side, slaughter the enemy and make a triumphant return back home to Ithaca. Now the question remains, how much of a role did Mentor play in Odysseus' success?
"The key to being a good mentor is to help people become more of who they already are--not make them more like you."
Suze Orman
Mentoring: the low-down
A mentors central role is to facilitate safe and inspiring learning by instilling their skills, expertise and experience upon their mentees. Consider them as your personal Greek goddess here to lead and guide you through what may be unfamiliar territory for you, but is very much a well-trodden track for them. Your mentor shares precious knowledge and unearths hidden information and knowledge gained through years of experience.
Studies have shown that mentoring is a proven tool to help individuals reach career milestones, feel more confident in making career and business choices, and create a more harmonious work-life balance. Essentially, your mentor is your sounding board, providing you with the opportunity to reflect, assess and plan your next move. Sounds like a heavenly match!
Who makes a good mentor?
Think you have some Athena traits in you? In addition to holding an abundance of experience and knowledge in your relevant professional field, you must also be able to:
Create a safe and non-judgemental space: You want your mentee to feel relaxed and comfortable enough to openly share and carry out honest discourse around their goals and objectives.
Listen and question: Help your mentee get to the heart of the problem/topic/goal at hand.
Provide valuable feedback: This is where your knowledge and experience comes into play!
Compassionate and empathetic: You're not in the business of shattering someone's dreams and aspirations; be kind and understanding to their quest for development.
This isn't a one-sided party either, with the mentor/mentee relationship being very much mutually-beneficial. The mentor gains:
The satisfaction of helping another.
Interpersonal skills.
Passing down of valuable and experiential knowledge.
Grow a personal and professional network.
"Just start. Don't worry that you don't have all the answers yet."
Alli Webb
Who is mentoring for?
If you're looking to achieve personal and professional goals of any kind, mentoring is a valuable avenue worth pursuing. It can help you navigate areas such as:
Planning a career change
Accelerate career progression
Launching a business
How to self-promote/market oneself
Develop new ways of working/work-flow systems
Improve performance at work
Seeking out leadership opportunities
Managing additional workload/multiple professional endeavours
Broaden your professional network
Learn how to set goals and objectives
Now that we have a more rounded understanding of a mentor and mentee relationship, let's jump back into our Athena and Odysseus analogy...
Would Odysseus have survived without the help of Athena? There is no doubt that Athena comes to Odysseus' aid many times, providing him with the tools and strategies to protect him from his opposers. But one can also not overlook Odysseus' own bravery, which is present throughout all his adventures.
In the end, it all comes down to the individual's actions; you steer the ship, and your mentor will be your compass.
If you've been looking for a mentor, or to be a mentor, applications are now open for Series Two of our CWC Member Mentoring Program: a member-to-member mentorship program for creative women. Find out more here.