Many people may have been familiar with the terms "mentor" and "mentorship" but the question is, are they also aware of the benefits and need of having a mentor? Just for emphasis, a mentor is someone who has a particularly specific knowledge which can educate, inform, or motivate you to become a better version of yourself and to achieve more. The truth is that there is a level of achievement that one cannot achieve quickly until they come under the mentorship of someone that has achieve a similar thing. Here, we shall take a look at the benefits of seeking for good mentorship.
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1. To increase your knowledge
In this part of the world, among the Igbos (SouthEast), they are predominantly known for trading ingenuity and this has led them to establish a kind of mentor-mentee program. In this program, an apprentice will be attached to someone that is well knowledgeable in a particular trade for a while, after which they will start up their own. In the period of apprenticeships, they will gather extensive knowledge about the business from their master, so when they establish their own, it will be easy for them. The easiest way to increase in knowledge is to learn from someone that is already proven to have such knowledge.
You will agree with me that the knowledge you seek is in the hands of someone and you can easily acquire it by aligning with the person. If you are left to figure out every knowledge you need by yourself, eternity will not be enough to do that. You will be surprised to know that within a matter of minutes, you can learn from someone what took him years to figure out. This is why it has been said that "knowledge is one of the assets of mentors." In the world, to succeed, you need relevant knowledge, and as such, you need to seek for the possessor of such knowledge. Everyone cannot be your mentor, you need to identify the carrier of the particular knowledge you seek and align with them.
2. Helps to motivate you towards action
If you observe closely, you will discover that you feel motivated to do something when you see someone or stay close to someone that does a similarly thing. A mentor will motivate you, not just by the fact the you will watch him take the actions first, but through the words of their encouragement. There is a reason why, when you stay with someone that has a skill in a particular craft, it will not be long and you will pick up that skill too. Obviously, when you stay with them, you will tend to also practicalize what you see and as they send you on errands relating to the craft, it will increase your motivation.
From the assignment that is given to you from your mentor, you become better. Mentors can also motivate you to set a goal or a target and then work towards it. I remember when I was doing my internship program, the lead instructor normally gives us targets to meet after he had put us through a few things. These targets helped to sharpen our creative thinking abilities and we became better at problem solving. To make it more fun, he added incentives for the people that will hit the target on time. This was part of what motivated us to put in our best and it spurred us to take quick action. You see, you tend to become better when you have someone motivating you than when you become an island of yourself.
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3. Corrections and constructive criticism
It is true that humans have a tendency for errors because they are not omnipotents nor omniscients. There are times that people may derail a bit or make one form of mistake or the other, maybe by omission or commission, but it is the duty of the mentor to correct them and put them in the right path. Through the corrections from your mentor, you can learn and be better. It is through corrections that you will know the areas of yourself that you need to work better to improve on.
More so, you friends or your family members may try to mince words or dilute the effect of their words when giving you their feedback or opinion on your actions, maybe because of your emotional attachment with them, but your mentor can constructively give you a professional criticism that will make for your personal growth. Without a constructive criticism, personal growth may be hampered because you will tend to believe that you do not need to improve. So as a mentee, you should also be open-minded to welcome constructive criticisms from your mentor.
Thanks for reading