10 Benefits Of Having A Mentor And Characteristics Of A Good Mentor
Have you seen a man who has qualities such as care for others, creativity to the core, dynamic by birth and a fighter by circumstances? He has overcome stammering in his life and currently he is coaching people to be more confident and communicate effectively…
Well, it is my great honor and pleasure to introduce Mr Hiten Vyas who has kind heartedly agreed to write this article for inspiring citizen..Its great moment for us in our blogging journey because this is the first guest post on our site..
You are going to listen to the words of Hiten, where is showing you the benefits of having a good mentor and also he explains about the characteristics of a good mentor..
At some stage in your life you will need help. We all do. Chances are, the type of help you will require is that which can be provided by a mentor.
A mentor is someone who usually has more experience than you in a particular aspect of life or work and gives you guidance and help to grow and develop. There are number of benefits of having a mentor. Below are 10 of them.
Benefits of having a mentor
Shares experiences with us
A mentor typically has done what you’re trying to achieve. Because of this, they can share their in depth knowledge and experiences with you. This then gives you fresh ideas on how you can achieve the particular goal you have set out to.
Helps you to realize your potential
Although you know yourself really well, often your views about what you believe you can achieve and what you cannot do are limited. A mentor can help you to see your current strengths and weaknesses, particularly those which you don’t recognize yourself and offer advice on changes you can make, which will have a big impact.
Someone to bounce your own ideas off
You can create plenty of ideas on how to achieve something. A mentor can be a useful person to bounce your ideas off. You can then get feedback on your thoughts and ideas. A mentor also is objective, so you can share ideas without worry of being judged.
Encourages you to make progress
Doing challenging activities alone can be daunting. Although you ultimately need to take responsibility for taking action to improve your life, a mentor can act as springboard to encourage you to keep going when times get tough.
A good mentor has usually been in similar situations to you and has dealt with these issues successfully. Such an individual can be an invaluable role model for you, who you can aspire to me like.
Holds you accountable
When you work alone on improving yourself, you’re not accountable to anyone but yourself. Although you can still make a lot of progress when working alone, there is the risk you can get complacent when doing activities. For instance, you might start to skip things you really need to persist with. A mentor can help you to deal with this, as he or she can hold you accountable for the actions you have committed to.
Introduce you to new contacts
Another benefit of having a mentor is that he or she can introduce you to other relevant people who can also support you along the way. If your mentor knows a particular person well, then this is a person you can more easily trust, as opposed to finding such an individual yourself.
Support
When you start working with a mentor, you’ve automatically gained a person who wants to see you succeed. He or she will be in your corner supporting you, cheering on your successes and providing constructive feedback on times, when outcomes worked out different to what you initially expected.
Be honest with you
When you ask for help from those who are emotionally close to you, most of the time they like to help. Friends and family can be a great source of support. However, the emotional attachment you have to such individuals can also be downside. Often people tell you what they think you want to hear. A mentor on the other hand can be an individual who will tell you what you need to hear.
Expand your horizon
Another key benefit of a mentor is the individual helps you to expand your perspective. By combining your own ideas with your mentor’s, your own thinking will stretch and ultimately so will your knowledge, which you can then put into practice.
Characteristics of a good mentor
So, above you have ten benefits of having a mentor. Let’s now look at 5 key traits that a good mentor has:
Someone who actively listens
A good mentor has superior listening skills and will listen to everything you have to say, without becoming emotionally attached to the content of what you’re saying. Only once you’ve finished speaking will the mentor respond.
When a mentor offers advice, it is usually practical and task-orientated. Such advice will help ensure you’re continuously taking action to help you achieve your goals.
Encourages you to find our own answers
A really good mentor will provide you with suggestions and ideas, based upon his or her own experiences. However, it is then up to you to try out what has been suggested and come to your own realizations. In effect, he or she will act as a guide to help you discover your own solutions.
Provide constructive feedback
An effective mentor is someone who will provide you with feedback, which will help you to improve your performance by commenting on your behaviors and not on your character.
Is available
Whenever you need help, a good mentor is accessible. Even if he or she is busy, a good mentor will make the effort to see you.
Over to you:
What other benefits of having a mentor can you think of?
What other characteristics do you think make a good mentor?
Have you ever been mentored? Or are you mentoring someone? What have your experiences been like?
About the author of this article:
Dr Hiten Vyas is a Life Coach, Author and Speaker. He is passionate about helping people increase their confidence and reduce their anxiety. You can find out more about him at his website.
