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17 Completely Selfish Reasons to Be a Mentor

Amy C. Waninger · 2018-01-02 · 16 Comments

There are 7 billion altruistic reasons to be a mentor: one for each person on the planet. In case you’re not motivated by do-gooderism, I’ve compiled more than a dozen completely selfish reasons to sign up to be a mentor.

Why Be a Mentor?

  1. Combat the Dunning-Kruger Effect and Impostor Syndrome
  2. Gain confidence
  3. Build an industry talent pipeline
  4. Discover new strengths
  5. Build new skills for your resume
  6. Learn from your protege
  7. Expand your professional network
  8. Find content for your blog
  9. Recognize your unique areas of expertise
  10. Remind yourself how far you’ve come
  11. Gain a new perspective on your own work and career
  12. Help peers fill open positions
  13. Learn about barriers to entry that may exist for your profession, industry, or company
  14. Helping others increases happiness
  15. Leave a professional legacy
  16. Compound your own success
  17. Be seen as a leader among your peers

Whether your reasons are selfish or altruistic, someone needs you! Make 2018 the year you expand your influence through new mentoring relationships.

Where can you mentor?

  • your own company (contact your HR department)
  • Employee Resource Groups within your company
  • professional associations within your industry
  • Toastmasters International
  • high schools
  • colleges
  • prisons
  • trade schools
  • formal mentoring organizations
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • YMCA programs
  • American Corporate Partners program for veterans
  • your place of worship and other faith-based programs
  • youth sports organizations

Leadership, Network Beyond Bias, networking

About Amy C. Waninger

Amy C. Waninger works with organizations that want to build leadership bench strength from a diverse talent population. She is the author of numerous books, including "Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career." Amy is a Certified Diversity Professional, a Professional Member of National Speakers Association, a Certified Virtual Presenter, and a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner. Her other credentials include two degrees from Indiana University and a "World’s Best Mom" coffee mug.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Taylor says

    2021-09-24 at 12:42 AM

    I agree amy, the benefits of mentoring are beyond belief! I’ve been in the industry for years and I still expand my connections and learn something new every day with my Mentees using Lisnic.com.

    Reply
  2. Amy C. Waninger says

    2018-02-02 at 6:43 PM

    Send me an evergreen tweet so I can promote your amazing organization!

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    2018-02-02 at 10:37 AM

    Great read! At SKY’S THE LIMIT, we connect volunteer mentors with underserved youth Entrepreneurs who want to start a business – Visit here to see if this could be a good mentor program for you! https://goo.gl/34GFhK

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    […] A formal mentoring program can be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining talent. Mentors provide access to growth and development opportunities through meaningful connections. We also know […]

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    2019-01-07 at 1:28 PM

    […] Mentoring others is one of the best ways I’ve found to manage (or at least redirect) my impostor syndrome. Through mentoring, I can more easily see the skills I’ve acquired and the perspective I’ve gained. When my proteges tell me they’ve successfully overcome an obstacle with my guidance, I know my success is reproducible and real. Sometimes, I’ll even hear myself say something really smart when I’m helping someone. It’s a wonderful feeling! ANYONE can be a mentor. Even if the only thing you know how to do is graduate high school or stay out of prison, you can — and should — be a mentor. Someone out there needs to see you on the other side of an invisible barrier. Someone is waiting to hear the brilliant things you don’t even know you’re about to say! […]

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    […] Perhaps you think having empathy is like having a sixth sense. The truth is, empathy is a skill that can be developed over time. Start small, by naming your own feelings as you have them. Over time, build up the courage to ask others how they’re feeling. For example, you might say, “I heard your presentation went really well this morning. That must make you feel proud of your work.” It feels weird at first, but the feedback you’ll get (watch for verbal and nonverbal cues) will make you want to continue. Pretty soon, people will be coming to you for advice because you’re so good at understanding them! When this happens, you’ll know your inclusive networking efforts are truly paying off: you’ve become a mentor! […]

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    2018-04-27 at 7:06 AM

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