Thursday, February 9, 2012

Becoming A Mentor

January 11, 2010  •  Category : Success   

Seeking out a mentor can be extremely beneficial for anybody. By using the services of a mentor, you can receive valuable information, feedback, and support you might never have come across otherwise.


But what about reasons to become a mentor to somebody else? Whether its teaching piano lessons one-on-one, or giving a short speech to a group of small business owners, the benefits of mentoring another person are enormous:

1. Mentoring keeps you knowledgeable about whats going on in the topic youre mentoring;
2. Mentoring keeps you sharp and at the top of your game (an edge very few other people have);
3. Mentoring keeps your name out there and in the open; you can build up a reputation for yourself as being an expert in your particular field.

1. Becoming a mentor keeps you knowledgeable.

A commonly tossed around statistic is that whatever knowledge is out there in a field right now will be doubled within 7 years. While the truth in that statement can be debated, it opens up a good point - just because you think you know everything in your field doesnt mean that there isnt something new to learn!

When you become a mentor to somebody, youre forced to keep yourself up-to-date on the latest happenings. If they come to you with a tough career question and youre not sure of the answer, would you shrug off the question? Or would you do your best to research the question and give them a useful answer? The latter gives you a clear benefit and keeps new information flowing your way that you might have otherwise missed out on.

2. Becoming a mentor keeps you sharp.

An individual brand new to a career field may have vastly different viewpoints and information than somebody who has worked in that same field for 30+ years. Testing and research is being carried out in every single field - to have somebody who is a constant source of breaking new developments forces you on your toes. By keeping yourself up-to-date through somebody else, you constantly will be given given new information you can use and synthesize with your previous experiences and knowledge - an edge very few other people have.

3. Becoming a mentor keeps you out there.

People are social creatures, and theyre always trying to make new, interesting connections with other people. By becoming a mentor to another person, you might come into contact with other folks that can help you out in your own endeavors that you previously might not have had contact with. As an extension to that, you may also come in contact with resources such as equipment you didnt have before. What does this translate into? Faster goal achievement for you! And its not a one-sided thing, either - youll be sharing your own contacts and resources with people you mentor, which can unlock new doors for them. Its totally a win-win situation.

Think for a moment about one potential person you can mentor. Give it some serious thought. Would it be worth it, for you and for them?

By:
Lee David

Read more of my articles Overcoming Your Fears | Fear And Goals
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