Mentoring as a catalyst for growth

By Ronal Ndoro Mind, WorkMango

“Learn from the mistakes of others. No-one can live long enough to make them all.” These wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt are the foundation upon which human progress has been predicated - our innate ability to learn through trial and error. And indeed, development is most swift when both negative and positive results are successfully handed from person to person, generation to generation.

I am certain most people have some idea of what mentoring is and the power it possesses to ensure personal growth. Indeed, you have likely experienced, in one form or another, a successful mentoring relationship - even if you did not label it as such. If you think back, perhaps it was a wiser older sibling or friend or a teacher at school who helped guide you along a difficult path.

And although there are many definitions of mentoring; in general terms, it can be described as a relationship-based process which provides guidance and passes on knowledge through communication while creating champions out of both participants.

The saying, “iron sharpens iron” sums it up - the point is that it is essential to surround yourself with like-minded people who are already where you want to be, so you can learn from their mistakes. The key to good mentoring is the exchange of ideas, perspectives and experience.

One of the principal benefits of mentorship is that it is not simply top down as you may expect. The best mentoring relationships are mutually beneficial whereby both the mentor and the mentee learn from each other through a sharing of energy, drive and ambition. After all, the best teachers have always been, and always will be, those who remain curious learners themselves. Seeing how beneficial mentoring can be, especially if applied as a tool to stimulate improvement and evolvement, it may seem like simple common sense to employ it. However, you may be surprised at just how underutilised it is. However, mentoring programmes instantly create a cultural and knowledge exchange and the mentors themselves benefit from community engagement and a broadening of perspectives. To top it off, giving back has been shown to improve mental wellness as well as overall happiness; dedicating time to help others bestows patience, greater understanding, kindness and resilience. Likewise, mentees learn from people with spades of experience and knowhow. A win-win situation for all. Research has shown time and time again that organisations who champion mentorship enjoy higher levels of employee engagement, retention and knowledge sharing. Consequently, employers and businesses need to embrace this as something beneficial for them and allow space for their employees to devote time in pursuit of personal growth.

However, mentoring is certainly not just for individuals. Small businesses and their owners often lack the resources and tools they need to succeed or take their business to the next level - and mentoring may be just what they need to get them across the line. Business mentors provide guidance to business owners and entrepreneurs, the process of which has been systematised and officially recognised through the creation of business incubators and accelerators. Across Europe and America, these have become prevalent for start-ups and early-stage companies with both public and privately-funded programmes offering incubation assistance. As well as providing a support network, they also offer a range of services from mentoring, consulting, management training to prototype creation, office space and other services such as access to sources of funding.

While the benefits and statistics of mentoring are more than encouraging, it is important to remember that it is not a magic formula that automatically generates success. Effective mentoring takes commitment, drive and determination as well as specific skills, sensibilities, and structure from the programme itself and from both the mentor and the mentee. The relationship needs to be based on trust, confidentiality and mutual respect, whilst complying with ground rules that address the power, class, wealth, age, race, gender, and any other differentials between the subjects. Indeed, success happens when both parties take full responsibility for making it work and when best practices are in place.