Mentors have been pivotal in my life and career development, from role-modeling and inspiration to easing the transition to a new company and culture to providing guidance that shaped how I run my company today.
And I’m not the only one who has seen the benefits of mentorship. 87% of mentors and mentees report feeling empowered by their mentoring relationships and have developed greater confidence (Moving Ahead UK, 2017).
And in a report on women in tech, 89% found mentoring impactful and 86% would recommend mentoring to another woman in tech (Guider).
Mentorship also improves job satisfaction. The Association for Talent Development (formerly the American Society for Training and Development) found that 95% of mentoring participants said the experience helped them develop a positive relationship with someone more experienced in their field, contributing to job satisfaction (2012).
Mentors can inspire by role-modeling the behaviors that make them successful and traits that we find admirable. What you learn from them can serve you in every area of life.
AMANDA KATHLEEN ZINKE, MBA, MSOD, PCC
CEO & FOUNDER OF LEAD BEE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Role Models And Inspiration
I grew up in the pharmacy business. My father was a pharmacist and owned the local independent pharmacy, which had been his father’s before that. My father was my first work role model. He had this amazing way of connecting with his customers. He was smart, well-read, loved sports, finance and a good laugh.
He took the time to get to know his customers and to personally connect with each of them. It was a great lesson for me to do the same. I learned to ask questions and really listen to people’s answers. In some ways, this has become a superpower. My ability to listen to what people are saying (and not saying!) has served me in all my relationships, personal and professional.
As a teenager and then a young adult, it also made work go faster. It exposed me to different ways of thinking, demonstrated possible career options, and made the time fly by. I couldn’t wait to see my favorite customers and hear how things were going for them. I feel the same way about coaching now.
My father was very emotionally intelligent, though he wouldn’t have called it that. He was an expert at reading people. Whether it was their body language, their tone of voice on the phone, or what and how they shared something, he was adept at being lighthearted with the guy next door who always stopped by for his morning paper and then shifting into empathy to connect with a man whose wife had cancer, coming out from behind the tall pharmacy counter to put a supportive hand on his shoulder and have a private conversation.
Reflect: When you think of your role models, what qualities do you admire most? How have you cultivated those same qualities in yourself?
Personalized Support
Unlike the advice you find in books or the internet, mentors understand your specific needs and goals and provide support tailored to your unique situation. This could be one of many reasons that 79% of Millenials see mentoring as crucial to their career success (as reported by a Huffpost contributor in 2016).
Whether that’s career guidance or even more personal guidance (helping identify your strengths and weaknesses and set personal goals), providing emotional support, encouragement, or helping you build confidence and resilience, mentors are a source of support that goes beyond the office.
Learning Opportunities
Mentors can help you expand your knowledge, deepen your skills, and reach your goals faster. They often bring a fresh perspective to a situation you’re struggling with or help you come up with new ideas or a new approach to a problem. They can offer viewpoints you may not have considered, which can help you make more informed decisions and expand your creative thinking.
In 2011, Sun Microsystems reported that 80% of mentors felt they had enhanced their own skills during the mentoring process, and 90% of participants said they gained valuable insights and knowledge.
And because we know that employees value opportunities to learn, grow, and expand their skills (which includes vertical development), it isn’t surprising that statistics on mentorship also demonstrate improved retention. In fact, retention rates were much higher for mentees (72%) and mentors (69%) than for employees who did not participate in the mentoring program (49%) (Wharton, 2007).
-Deloitte-
(Study 2016)
Millennials intending to stay with their organization for more than five years are twice as likely to have a mentor (68%) than not (32%).
Transitions
Mentors can support new hires as they adjust to company culture, create new connections, settle into their new roles and help navigate change.
When I worked at Microsoft in Seattle, people often took their laptops with them when they went to meetings. It was the regular practice to use your laptop to take notes, get quick info needed to make decisions, track program progress, assign tasks, and schedule follow-up meetings.
Fast forward several years, and I took a role with Talbots, running learning and development. When I was new to the company and getting up to speed on the various functions and needs, I would bring my laptop with me to meetings so I could jot down notes.
My fantastic manager, who was heading up HR there at the time, met with me and suggested I put the computer down! It was such kind, good advice, and so gently given. I hadn’t stopped to consider how the culture was different and what I needed to do differently. What I had been doing was completely wrong for the culture there, which was super personal. Folks often started the meeting by connecting, which built both trust and relationships. I missed this at the time, and it was such wise advice to look around and get to know the environment you’re in and the needs of those you’re serving.
By putting down the computer, I was able to listen more deeply. I was also able to make some wonderful friends at Talbots, so it was a win-win all around.
Whether you’re in the midst of a career transition or not, mentors can offer valuable insights, advice, and their own lived experiences to help your career progression and development. They can help you make informed decisions, consider your options and help you navigate the complexities of your industry and organization.
Mentorship also supports career advancement. Mentees are promoted five times more than those without mentors (Gartner, 2006). And mentors themselves were six times more likely to have been promoted (Sun Microsystems, 2011). Finally, 25% of employees who enrolled in a mentoring program had a salary grade change, compared to 5% of workers who did not participate (Gartner, 2006).
Reflect: When has a mentor helped to ease a career transition for you or helped advance your career? What was the most impactful thing they said or did? When has a mentor helped you to see things from a new perspective?
Connections
Mentors often have extensive networks within the organization and throughout their wider field of expertise. A mentor may be able to provide introductions and opportunities you may not otherwise have had exposure to. They can also help you build a strong professional network.
Accountability
When you share your personal and professional goals with your mentor, they can follow up and hold you responsible for your actions. Knowing that someone is invested in your success and cheering you on can be highly motivating. They can also help you stay focused and provide encouragement and guidance when encountering any roadblocks.
Guidance
At one of my first “real” jobs after college, I worked for a company called Touchcom (we were introducing some of the first computerized directories and access control systems). It was so exciting to be part of a start-up and I got to wear many hats while I was there. The CEO, Patrick de Cavaignac, was a wonderful mentor to me.
One of the most important things he taught me was to put the customer first. We were there to support the customer’s needs, so when we were asked to provide a solution, we spent a lot of time exploring what the customer’s needs were, and if we couldn’t meet that need, we would help them navigate to someone else who could.
At the time, this was groundbreaking, particularly in some of the aggressive, competitive markets we were in. Patrick’s integrity and his strong desire to truly serve his clients helped build trust and connection. It was a place I was proud to be a part of. And it was a lesson that stuck with me and has become a key part of how we run things at my company, Lead Bee Leadership Development.
Reflect: What guidance from a mentor have you carried with you into the work you do today?
As we’ve shown through our stories, mentors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that can provide insights and shortcuts to your goals. Often, they’ve been in your shoes and can teach you by sharing how they navigated failure and found success.
Mentors have a way of shaping us - and their friendship, their words and their actions have a way of staying with us as we embark on new roles, become leaders and mentors ourselves, and add our own experiences and expertise to the wisdom we’ve collected along the way.
Mentors can help at any stage of our journey (you’re never too senior to have a mentor!) and we can step into that role and lift up those who come behind us.
If you'd like to discuss how to create a strategy for mentorship within your team or company, either as a formal program or something more informal that employees could opt into, please reach out to us.
