- Have we had the spotlight on the wrong participant this whole time?
- What if mentoring is really all about the Mentor?
- What if the Mentee is simply tangential?
A recent study found that people actually benefit more from giving advice than from receiving it.
Because giving advice compels people (Mentors) to re-evaluate themselves and their environments from a different perspective.
What if the person who is new to company, new to role, new to skill, or new to leadership (aka the Mentee) is merely just a vehicle to allow the Mentor the experience of reflecting, examining, sharing, and then reinforcing their own wisdom?
A Mentor in one of our programs, Chris shared, “Being a mentor forced me to critically think about my success as a leader so I could communicate that to my Mentee. And then I noticed that I started applying my own advice to lead my team better – lessons that I had previously forgotten. Suddenly I was a better leader, and I wasn’t even the one getting mentored!”
Like Chris, each time I mentor someone, the process surprises me. By imparting insights and advice, my leadership improves, and my confidence gets a boost!
Here’s more evidence of mentoring’s significant impact on Mentors:
- Mentors are 6x more likely to get a promotion than people who don’t mentor (vs. Mentees are 5x)
- 28% of Mentors get a raise (vs. 25% of Mentees and 5% of managers who do not serve as a Mentor)
- 90% of Mentors rediscover their unique perspectives, recall and redeploy wisdom earned, strengthen their own skills
Of course Mentees benefit from mentoring! But that’s table stakes in this game. Why settle for minimum expectations in your program or for your own participation?
When mentoring has the power to upskill the Mentor in every conversation, in every relationship, in every program… why wouldn’t you readily, consistently, and enthusiastically mentor others? |
