How Becoming A Good Mentor Can Benefit Your Career

When signing up to be a mentor to a junior employee, you might think that the arrangement is in favor of the mentee. Due to the traditional workplace dynamic, it sees you doing a majority of the work while the employee only has to absorb your experience and benefit from it. What you may not realize at first is just how much your career can gain from the mentoring experience. The following list of benefits highlights how you can stand out in the eyes of potential future employers.

You Improve Your Company’s Performance

You’ve got years of experience and historical knowledge regarding your particular company which means that you can help point your mentee in the direction that will yield the best outcomes with the least amount of time wasted. In high-level roles, you are likely to oversee the department’s budget, strategize on long term campaigns, delegate responsibilities and manage the people who produce quality work in order to support those projects. This leaves you very minimal time in order to stay current which is where trends and innovations begin to appear. By mentoring a junior associate, you can become privy to all the activity that happens within your industry. Having that unbiased perspective can help guide you to better ways of operating which increases your value in the eyes of your co-workers and superiors.

You’ll Be A Better Employee

As a mentor, you are going to get feedback eventually. Good leaders require active listening skills which you will need to utilize as a mentor. Remain open and receptive to feedback from your mentee regarding your leadership style, how well you listen and how you are able to provide suggestions. Your strategic-thinking skills will be challenged. By observing your mentee’s professional development and taking note of their success and problems, you can tweak and improve your own leadership and management practices. Keep in mind that not every mentee is the same, so you’ll come to understand how to best advise people with different learning styles.

You’ll Boost Your Reputation

As your former mentees rise through the ranks and capitalize on the many successes that you helped them achieve, their careers may lead them to some potential job offers. Maybe they will bring you along when they make the move.