Over the years, I have had the privilege to mentor others professionally and personally. I have also been mentored by others. The last couple weeks I have had the opportunity to be reminded of how important the process of mentoring is to personal and professional development. The development is not only for the person being mentored but also the person doing the mentoring. I have written several blogs over the years about mentoring but usually from the lens of choosing a mentor and being mentored, not from the benefits of being the mentor.
I have been thinking lately about people who I have had the privilege and honor to mentor over the course of my life. The greatest legacy I will ever leave is that of my children but second may be the people who I have gotten to pass along wisdom in a mentoring relationship. Because several great men and women took the time to impart wisdom and knowledge to me, I have been motivated to share it down the line to others. The relationships in which I have been able to mentor others has given me much joy and rewards. Here are just a few of the benefits I have found from being a mentor:
• Reenergizes me at times to continue to do my job well
• Forces me to increase my own knowledge base
• Makes me a better listener
• Gives me a greater sense of value and worth
• Increases and deepens my relationships
• Forces me to challenge my own thinking about why I do things the way I do
Our world celebrates individualism but none of us ever have gotten to our place in the world without others. Knowing this should make us both seek out mentors and drive us to mentor others. Take the gifts and talents others have helped you achieve and become a mentor to someone else. You will not regret it!
Tim Geels – Senior Vice President of Organizational Development
