by Maggie Knight, Member Engagement Coordinator, CPA
Becoming involved in a mentorship program can elevate your professional abilities, regardless of where you are in your career.
You recognize your own value.
Much of the mentee’s learning is derived by the knowledge and expertise you are able to impart from having gone through similar situations or experiences in your career. The mentor/mentee relationship will likely prompt you to reflect on and evaluate your past career successes and failures with a new and more mature viewpoint.
You will begin to identify how hard you worked, as well as who and what supported you in achieving your career successes.
You develop the skills needed to become a better teacher, communicator, collaborator, and leader.
Being a mentor challenges you to consider the obstacles and limitations that are specific to the mentee’s personal situation. You gain a new perspective and teaching strategies by understanding your mentee’s needs, and also by helping them find solutions.
Collaborating with your mentee by asking questions, providing advice, and brainstorming strategies for success will enable your mentee to find a solution that works best for him or her personally. You will begin to adjust your communication tactics based on your individual mentee’s needs. You become a motivator and encourager. This subsequently could begin to seep into your work, making you a more empathetic and open leader within your organization.
You begin to model your best self.
You are reminded of your own strategies for success, as well as begin to incorporate new tactics that you find valuable through your discussions with your mentee. You begin to act as a role model in hopes of encouraging your mentee, thus putting your best self forward.