How many of you have uttered these words? We often use this phrase when reflecting on the wisdom we’ve gained through trials and tribulations, but stop for a minute and consider your professional accomplishments. Were these great feats achieved by you alone? Would you have accomplished more with a little guidance or professional direction?Manard Webb, contributing blogger for Forbes outlined, “Why Being A Mentor Is Just As Important As Having One.” Yet, many folks shy away from the chance to mentor future professionals.
Excuses for not mentoring... Many of us have balked at the opportunity to mentor, and these excuses have provided a safe cushion to help suppress our guilt:
“I’m too busy or don’t have time.”
“I don’t know enough to contribute as a mentor.”
“People should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and learn on their own.”
Actually, today’s communication methods allow mentoring to take place on several different levels, despite limited time. You would be amazed at how a simple question, answered through email or text, can help a protégé avoid a major faux pas that can have devastating effects on their professional career. Still, there is no substitution for the face-to-face conversations that are greatly needed in building the mentor-protégé relationship (…refer to my previous blog post for more on that subject). And while many of us have gained valuable experience from unforeseen mishaps, or sometimes just stupid mistakes, we’ve all wished that someone would have directed us around those potholes in our career path.
Benefits of mentoring... What many of us fail to realize is that mentoring benefits the mentor just as much as the protégé.
You help to shape, and ultimately strengthen, your industry.
Mentoring offers a great opportunity to “give back” to the community.
It provides a great way to build on your knowledge and improve your professional skills.
A study in the Harvard Business Review entitled, “Mentoring Millennials,”highlights the important role that mentoring will play as the workforce undergoes a seismic shift in new professionals entering the field. Mentoring also allows us to satisfy our need to “give back” once we’ve reached those pivotal points in our career. Over the past six years, I’ve taught communication and public relations courses as a way to not only help guide future PR professionals, but also as a way to stay abreast of the fast-paced industry. Every semester I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned from my students. While my experience and overall knowledge in the field helps to guide their professional teachings, I often find that they have just as much to contribute when exploring technology and modern means of communication. This fact was once again realized this past semester when my students started discussing “Videolicious” and I suggested that they end this inappropriate conversation. After their five minutes of laughter and delight, I decided that it was time to re-boot my tech skills and reach-out to them for some updates.
Over the next year, the PRAL Acadiana chapter will embark on a mission that has been long overdue. We'll join with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s PRSSA chapter to implement a year-long mentorship program to help public relations students transition into the workforce. This exciting venture will ultimately help everyone involved become better players of the game.
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