How mentoring can help you stand out from the crowd - Part 4

Welcome to the final part of our series on how mentoring can provide you with new skills and hone those you already have. 

According to Lisa Quast, career coach, business consultant/organisational trainer and former Fortune 500 executive.  “Many women begin their careers as a mentee, seeking out others who are willing to help them. But as we get older I believe it’s important to reach out and mentor younger women, not only to help other women with their careers; we should become mentors because being a mentor can actually help our own careers!”

In this final part we look at feedback, time management and resilience.

Feedback: Improve your ability to give and receive constructive feedback, fostering a supportive and growth-oriented mentoring environment. As a mentor, you regularly provide feedback to your mentee on their progress, goals, and areas for improvement. This consistent practice of giving constructive feedback hones your ability to articulate observations, provide guidance, and offer actionable suggestions effectively.

Moreover, receiving feedback from your mentee allows you to understand different perspectives and adapt your approach accordingly. Through this iterative process of giving and receiving feedback, you develop a nuanced understanding of how to deliver feedback in a supportive and growth-oriented manner, benefiting not only your mentoring relationships but also your interactions with colleagues, friends, and family.

Time Management: Enhance your time management skills by balancing your mentoring commitments with other responsibilities and priorities in your life. The WIBF mentoring programme only requires 1 hour a month of your time.

Balancing mentoring commitments with other responsibilities necessitates time management skills. By allocating specific time slots for mentoring sessions, preparation, and follow-ups, you learn to prioritise tasks, set boundaries, and make efficient use of your time. Over time, this practice cultivates discipline, organisation, and adaptability in managing competing demands, which proves beneficial in both personal and professional contexts.

Resilience: Mentorship inevitably involves navigating challenges, setbacks, and uncertainties, whether it's addressing mentee struggles, managing conflicts, or adapting to changing circumstances.

As a mentor, you encounter diverse situations that test your patience, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience. By confronting and overcoming these challenges, you build confidence in your abilities, learn to stay composed under pressure, and develop a resilient mindset that enables you to persevere in the face of adversity. This resilience not only strengthens your mentoring relationships but also equips you with invaluable coping mechanisms for handling challenges in various aspects of your life, fostering personal growth and development.

Being a mentor offers a multifaceted journey of personal and professional growth, providing opportunities to refine many skills. Ultimately, the experience of mentorship not only enriches the lives of mentees but also equips mentors with invaluable skills and qualities that enhance their personal and professional endeavors, making a lasting impact on both themselves and those they mentor.

At WIBF we are committed to providing members with someone who can help them shape their career and achieve their goals.  People who choose to mentor provide invaluable experience, knowledge and help to unlock potential in future leaders.  It is a rewarding experience which can enrich your own career, develop your own leadership skills and give you new perspectives.

If you too want to be a part of the journey to support women in the industry, please sign up to join the community of people already committed to creating a legacy and shaping the leaders of the future