Have you ever wondered – why do I need a mentor?
Why is one important? Especially since you have seen plenty of people around you do well without one.
I think this is such a fair question. So let me know answer it for you.
A mentor is not just a supervisor, answering questions and keeping you on track. They are someone who gets to know you on a deep level. They are someone who has trodden the path you are on. They know the pitfalls. They know the shortcuts.
When you work with a mentor, they are helping and guiding you. They don’t have any other motivations other than your well-being and upskilling.
Unlike a supervisor whose skills and reputation will be judged by how well you are doing. Or a boss who needs certain outcomes from you.
A mentor is there to support you. To answer your questions without judgement. To teach you what worked for them To explore what will work for you. To call out when you are being taken advantage of. To tell you when you need to step up or to take a step back.
One of my mentees in our discussions was telling me about her employer’s expectations. Not just about billable hours. It was about her workload, how she was working, the unreasonable hours, the contact after hours. My job as her mentor was to show her what is reasonable and what is not. To explain why it was unreasonable and the impact it has not just on her but her clients. I then helped her map out a course of action.
I could do this because my job is to support her and her wellbeing. I have 25 years of experience as a therapist. I have 18+ years as an employer. But most of all, I wasn’t her boss or supervisor. I was external to her situation so I could give her unbiased, realistic advice grounded in helping her achieve her goals.
Often when you are being mentored or supervised in your workplace, it’s hard. There are things you don’t want to say or are afraid to say in case it comes back to harm you in a performance appraisal or how you are seen in the workplace. You may have questions but you don’t seek help because your supervisor is too busy, or sessions are only monthly. There is a lot that can go unsaid but it keeps you up at night. It increases your anxiety. It eats away at your confidence.
That’s why a mentor is so important.
They are there for YOU. To support YOU. They see the bigger picture.
& rather than stumbling, working it out for yourself or asking a friend or colleague in a similar boat, asking your mentor means you leap ahead.
You get unstuck fast, you gain skills through their experience, you learn quickly and you race ahead.
That’s why having a mentor is so important.
Yes, not everyone has one. Yes you can work it out for yourself. But imagine if you didn’t have to. How much further ahead would you be?
