Why mentors are key to success

Mark Zuckerberg has one. Bill Gates has one. Oprah Winfrey has one. Apart from being incredibly rich and successful, there’s one thing they all have in common: a mentor. 

Regardless of how successful you are, mentors can have a positive impact on your career and life.

What is a mentor? 

The purpose of a mentor within a work capacity is not just to onboard new employees. Mentors can be used at every stage of your career. A mentor understands that there is always room for growth in your professional development. Mentors can help you establish new career goals and map out a plan to accomplish them.

The 4 roles of a mentor 

Mentors wear many hats and play many roles. Bob Proctor, a self-help author and lecturer, describes a mentor as someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself and helps bring it to the forefront. 

Here’s what a mentor can do and how they can help you.

Coach

A mentor is a coach whose purpose is to help you kick goals in whatever field you work in. A coach will analyse and assess your current form, honing your skills to help you perform at your best. They’re your number-one cheer squad and will support you through your journey and celebrate your wins.

Confidante

Your mentor is your confidante, someone you feel comfortable talking to about your worries, issues and insecurities. You trust them with personal and confidential information, knowing that it is in safe hands. 

Chloe Washington, chief of staff to the CMO at HubSpot, believes a mentor provides an open space to be vulnerable. A mentor allows you to be more transparent and ask questions you may not feel comfortable asking your manager or colleague.

Teacher

A mentor can teach you new ways of doing things with a fresh approach and different mindset. They have systems and processes that align with your way of working and help drive your career forward.

A reflective guide to mentoring and being a teacher-mentor discusses the role of a mentor for emerging teachers, but it applies to mentors for any job or industry. It describes how a teacher has an extensive repertoire of possible practices and responses they can draw on, tweak and adapt according to the circumstances and needs of the mentee. Mentors offer practical wisdom that can’t be printed in a book. They offer knowledge that is invaluable.

Consultant

Harvard Business Review describes consultants as practitioners, not preachers. The consultant process should stimulate experiments with more-effective ways of managing to make the most valuable contribution to a client. Through analysis and diagnosis, they will form more-effective ways of managing your work and formulate solution-based outcomes.

Final thoughts

In the words of Harvard Business Review, “consultants are not crusaders bent on reforming management styles and assumptions,” and neither are mentors. Mentors have a role to play in everyone's professional lives and can help you in your journey to achieving your goals.

For more insights, visit the Heart Talent blog.