The basis for a mentoring relationship is the mentor being someone who is highly experienced and successful in their field and the mentee who is usually someone starting out in their career.
Could it be that mentors are increasingly hard to find due to an increase in 'hustle' culture? Do we simply not have time to mentor others anymore?
The Cambridge Dictionary has defined mentoring as: ‘the act or process of helping and giving advice to a younger or less experienced person, especially in a job or at school’ and more specifically in the workplace as: ‘the activity of supporting and advising someone with less experience to help them develop in their work.'
Some mentoring relationships lead to an enhancement of cognitive capabilities, ensuring for a smoother transition through the complex stages we experience in adult development.
Mentoring relationships can yield an increase in self-efficacy, resilience, hope and optimism. It has been proposed that when these developmental relationships are characterised by trust and compassion, they are the key to evoking self-awareness and a growth in one’s identity.
One of the most attractive things about mentoring is its influence on the psychological state of thriving, which has been defined as experiencing both vitality and learning at work.
Amazingly, mentoring can also benefit our physiological state. Changes occur when there are positive attractors at work, leading to an arousal of our parasympathetic nervous system, which gives the individual more access to their neutral circuits. This allows for neurogenesis (conversion of hippocampal stem cells into new neurons), resulting in new types of learning!
The Office of Human Resources at the National Institutes of Health have also weighed in on the conversation, confirming that mentoring leads to a broadening of perspectives, increased opportunities, exposure to new ideas, improved productivity and creates a more inviting culture.
In addition, the Equality Challenge Unit commissioned a review and study into ‘Mentoring: progressing women’s careers in higher education’ and found a number of benefits, including but not limited to: career advancement, higher rates of promotion, higher salaries, increased productivity and self-esteem.
Despite the many benefits outlined above, only 37% of professionals have a mentor.
Not everyone wants to volunteer their time for free, nor should they have to. But I am hoping that the benefits that have been reported for mentors will persuade you!
· The potential for networking and gaining new perspectives and ideas
· The additional experience and skill development in staff management
· Career rejuvenation
· Increased confidence and productivity
· Personal fulfillment and satisfaction
Are You Interested In Becoming A Mentor?
If you would like to reap the benefits of mentoring, whilst also empowering the next generation of aspiring professional women then sign up through our Mentor Section on our Website!
References -
University of Southhampton. The benefits of a mentoring relationship. Retrieved 30/03/2021, from: https://southampton.ac.uk/professional-development/mentoring/benefits-of-a-mentoring-relationship.page
Nicola Cronin (2019). The Powerful Benefits of Mentoring. Retrieved 30/03/2021, from: https://www.guider-ai.com/blog/mentoring-benefits
Quinn (2012) for the Equality Challenge Unit. Mentoring: progressing women’s careers in higher education. Retrieved 30/03/2021, from: https://www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/external/mentoring-progressing-womens-careers-in-higher-education.pdf
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