Positive outcomes of participating as a Mentor

Mentors gain personal and professional satisfaction in helping youth. It is always nice to feel that we are doing something valuable and supporting someone else. A mentoring relationship may also be a useful opportunity to work on a leadership style, particularly coaching, or other communication skills without comments from co-workers about the change. Mentors also gain improved interpersonal skills and get a deeper understanding of teen and societal problems. Mentors also add value to their communities and to the future.

Despite the benefits of being a mentor, mentoring relationships are not for everyone but a good and productive mentoring relationship with the right person will provide huge benefits to both parties.

Attributes of a Mentor

• Believe in the ability of others.
• Show empathy and understanding.
• Be open to sharing of feelings and ideas.
• Display the integrity required to generate trust.
• Be open to receiving feedback from others.
• Be flexible in their approach.
• Be able to delegate.
• Be able to help others to put learning into practice.
• Be able to talk to people about their careers.
• Be an effective communicator – both verbal and written.
• Be able to give constructive feedback.
• Handle conflicts constructively.
• Be able to provide structures and procedures to support the process.
• Be able to solve problems effectively and objectively.