How Effective Mentoring Creates Excellent Leaders

Who was it who said, “Success without a successor is failure?” It is a remarkable statement to make because it is true. Many large-scale organizations have faltered because the successor failed to live up to the person they followed. To prepare for the future, leaders must always consider mentoring.

A mentor, according to Merriam-Webster, is a “trusted counselor or guide.” Mentoring is a form of sharing knowledge, experience, and aiding another person for a particular responsibility. A mentor not only instructs but also supports the person, or their mentee, under their wing. The results of effective mentoring stay even if the mentor and the mentee are no longer working together. It is how it should work because mentorship is not focused on functionality but wisdom and support.

Mentors enable their mentees to become better versions of themselves. They guide mentees, not only in their careers but in their personal growth as well. Forms of leadership are not learned by people solitarily; it is often a result of mentoring. The mentee more or less follows the leadership style of his or her mentors, making mentorship important in businesses.

In business, coaching and mentoring training work hand in hand. While coaching focuses on what to do and how to do it, mentoring provides constant encouragement. When challenges present themselves, coaches hone an individual’s skills, sharpening and polishing what they learned along the way. Mentors, on the other hand, teach their mentees about initiative, patience, perseverance, and other important virtues. Mentors journey with their mentees, influencing a change in their lives—changes that stay with them forever.

In most cases, mentors do not seek mentees and mentees do not seek mentors. Things have a way of falling into place—most of the time, mentoring relationships happen in an instant. However, it is not discouraged for a person to seek a mentor or a mentor to seek a mentee.

Excellent mentorship focuses on the relationship more than the teaching part. It develops character more than capabilities. A person can be skilled, yet the lack of strong character will not lead him or her anywhere—this is an area mentors look on. They make sure that their mentees are not only skilled, talented, and capable but are also morally upright and possessing strong character.

To avoid organizations from falling apart, a succession strategy should be adopted and adapted. Implementation of a career mentoring program is highly encouraged. In this way, all the hard work put in from the very beginning will not be put to waste once the leaders leave. An excellent leader always thinks of the future; an excellent leader should be a mentor as well.

Do you have a mentor of your own? What is the most important lesson you’ve learned from them? Share your answer in the comments section. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

References

Tjan, Anthony K. “What the Best Mentors Do.” Harvard Business Review. May 30, 2017. Accessed September 27, 2017. https://hbr.org/2017/02/what-the-best-mentors-do.

Reh, F. John. “A Guide to Understanding the Role of a Mentor.” The Balance. August 8, 2017. Accessed September 27, 2017. https://www.thebalance.com/a-guide-to-understanding-the-role-of-a-mentor-2275318.