Mentoring is a gift that is given to us (mentors) by the mentees, not the other way around. Let me share you why!
1️⃣ The mentor learns the most from the students
We see quite many people who have a huge amount of valuable experience and willingness to share. What about the professionalism of the mentor?
I know only a few mentors in Lithuania who could boast not only deep experience and knowledge in their field but also international EMCC Global accreditation or academic education, justifying the mentor's professionalism.
Colleagues and mentoring professionals Sonata Kucin - Mentoring Culture Expert, Saulius Alksnis and Tomas Misiukonis come to my mind.
You ask, who needs that professionalism? After all, many great mentors are personalities! As they say, all you have to do is to be in the same room with a mentor, and change will happen itself...
No, it is necessary. First, to avoid harm. Second, to be able to establish a strong relationship. Third, to be able to create a safe, but somewhat challenging environment for students to grow. 🚀
2️⃣ The mentor makes a mistake at the expense of the student
Naturally, we all fail: both mentoring professionals and amateurs. In my view, the professionals do it more often.
Well, because, thanks to studies, self-reflection, and supervision, it’s easier for professionals to recognize their mistakes and possible consequences.
When there’s a lack of honest understanding of what a good, nurturing conversation looks like, it’s more tempting to avoid responsibility when a mentorship fails:
"you know, this student resists change",
"well, maybe the chemistry didn't match" or
"please understand, I'm very busy, I was asked to participate".
I won’t hide that I have uttered some of the phrases myself during the 3 years of mentoring... 🙈
3️⃣ The mentor grows more than the student
Although I’ve had many various mentors during my career (from former managers to clients), I could name individual people as real mentors.
In my eyes, a real mentor accompanies the student for almost the entire career, is always available, and is open to growth. Thank you Dainius Jakučionis for being such a mentor!
At that time, we, mentors, can boast of a much larger number of trainees, which means a greater number of opportunities to grow: consolidate the accumulated knowledge, recognize our own limiting beliefs, and become even wiser professionals in our field. 💡
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So, I'm excited to kick off the new season with another opportunity to make dignified and professional mistakes and learn with a bunch of awesome mentors and mentees from Women Go Tech.
© Picture by Women Go Tech
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