The Importance of Mentorship

Everyone has the ability to be a mentor and to obtain a mentor.. but do they know how?

The importance of mentorship

Almost everyone can remember a time that someone has said to them, “I look up to you.” And if you haven’t let me be the first to say, I look up to you. Chances are if you have had someone say those impactful words to you, it is one of the most gratifying, sweet and deeply rooted feelings any one could have. When someone admits that they look up to you, that means you have been a mentor to them, maybe without even knowing.

In a recent survey I had my speech class take, around 30 percent of the class somewhat disagreed that they would reach out to people that they look up to, even if they don’t know them personally and 39 percent of them said that they would be more inclined to reach out to someone that they feel looks up to them. This shows some people may want to reach out to someone they look up to, but don’t know how to approach them and that some of people feel like they possess qualities that they find valuable to share.

Here’s the problem

People may not even recognize that they possess the qualities to be a mentor. I asked a group of five student leaders on the Penn State campus if they consider themselves mentors and they all echoed sentiments of, “I am not sure if I am qualified?” or “Can I even claim myself to be a mentor?’ When in my eyes they clearly are.

Follow these steps

Everyone is a mentor and there are three things you can do to help guide yourself through the process of becoming one:

1. Name your top three greatest strengths. For example , let say for you it is being personable, intelligent, passionate.

2. You capitalize on those strengths. You do this by taking part and initiating activities that make you feel those things. For example, you may feel your most personable, intelligent and passionate when you are teaching people how to do yoga, so you would take the steps to become a yoga instructor.

3. Check in on yourself and ask “What type of feedback am I getting from the group? Is this activity showcasing my strengths? Do I feel like there is someone in this group that I work well with, that seeks my guidance and I feel I can take along to grow with me?

Some Solutions

The second problem is that people may not know how to approach someone that they would what to mentor or be mentored by. The solution is two-fold. The first part is simple. To approach someone that you would like to mentor yourself, reach out to the person saying, “I recognize that you also are interested in _____ and I think you are great at it. I would be happy to work with you on it. Here is my information, don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to chat.”

The second part is how to approach someone that you would like to be mentored by. If it is someone that you are in contact with on a day-to-day basis a variation of the previous model still works, “ I recognize that you also are interested in _____ and I think you are great at it. I would love to work with you and sit down to chat at some point.”

Now if you do not know the person you want to be mentored by and maybe just know of them the first step to make is getting in touch with them. Whether it be through email, writing a letter, connecting with them on LinkedIn- just get in touch. After reaching out for guidance it is crucial that you have clearly thought out and have developed you “Ask”. This could sound something like this, “ I am a student and I admire the work you have done in the industry. I would be grateful if you could share some tips that would be helpful for me before I enter the business.”

If you still aren't convinced...

Some barriers that might be faced when trying to pursue mentorship is feeling shy to approach someone you look up to or not feeling worthy of being a mentor.

The process of mentorship includes being bold- and everyone contains the power to be bold in their own way. So if you feel shy to approach someone you look up to, know that person was once in your very shoes, going through the same thoughts as you- this helps make them more human.

I challenge you today to connect with one person on LinkedIn – maybe a CEO that you look up to, an advisor you admire or a classmate that has qualities you would like to have yourself. Take it a step further and message them. They might not reply, but all at the same time they might reply, so why not? I also challenge you to send a message to someone that you feel looks up to you. Ask them to get coffee or just send them a message of encouragement. These small acts are GIANT for mentees. You all have it within you to make the power of mentorship, part of your personal power.

I will leave you with this quote by Maya Angelou, who famously was a mentor to Oprah Winfrey, “In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.”

So in other words, if you care, you’re good.