Essay: The Importance and Benefits of Mentorship in the workplace

As we all begin our journey into the work force and the new experiences that come along with it, many researchers and psychologists point to mentorships as a way to expedite your integration into the new experiences. A mentor can be best described as someone who is an experienced and trusted adviser. As we all make our way through our lives, it is important not to go without guidance. We all make mistakes, and should all learn from them, but another person who could give you those wise words of wisdom and advice as you make your way through life can make all the difference. Over the time of the mentoring relationship, the pair establishes commitment, respect and loyalty to each other (Baker 15). The idea of mentorship isn’t a new idea. The term “mentor” originated in Homer’s The Odyssey which was the name of Odysseus’s close friend (Baker 14). When Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War, Mentor was left to serve as council for Odysseus’s son Telemachus (Baker 14). The idea of mentorship in the United States originated in the early 20th century with the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and mass immigration to the United States (Baker 14). The importance of mentorship and concerns, famous examples of mentorships, and my personal experiences with mentors will be discussed in this paper. As we all make our way through new experiences and life in general, it would be ignorant of us to go blindly. Through these points and examples, the need for and argument to support mentorships should be obvious and should resonate with all.
The Importance of Mentorship:
Broadly, mentoring is important because it allows members of a community who might not have familiarity with that community go confidently in their new experiences with the help of their mentor. It creates a comfortable and inviting environment for the protégé and allows them to feel like they’re fitting into their new environment. Mentoring relationships are a lot different from any other type of interpersonal relationship because mentorships often depend of career-related and psychosocial support (Baranik). More specifically, mentor relationships offer positive impacts for both the mentor and mentee and results in higher levels of job satisfaction along with other career-related success. The process of choosing a mentor and what factors go into this decision will also be discussed.
Benefits for Mentee and Mentor
As mentioned, the mentor relationship can have benefits and positive impacts for both the mentor and mentee. For the mentee, they can gain valuable networking skills as well gain a personal identity. The mentor can help the protégé establish a good network through introducing them to the mentor’s group of colleagues and other important professionals in their profession or social group (Wright 205). Being associated with someone who is held to high esteems can reflect positively on the mentee. If the mentor is included in discussions and at events, this could help the protégé stand out even more (Wright 205). The mentor’s belief in the mentee’s abilities and talents can reassure the mentee that as a result can increase their self-confidence (Wright 205).  The mentee is able to establish their own set of values, standards, and attitudes that are different from their mentor’s (Wright 205). The result of a successful mentoring relationship will be the blending of the mentee’s own personal experiences with those of the mentor and learning from and in turn adapting it to their own set of morals. Some other positive impact a mentorship can have for the mentor include better educated, higher pay, and better job placement (Hunt 478). For the mentor, their personal reputation will be made stronger, also the potential rejuvenation of the mentor’s career thanks to the mentorship, and teaches the mentor how to be a better mentor through their learned experiences. If an organization views a member as being active in the advancement of others through mentoring, then their professional visibility and reputation will be increased, and it also shows that the mentor has leadership capabilities and they gain respect from their colleagues (Wright 205).  Also, mentee’s can be very important in advancing and rejuvenating a mentor’s career. The mentee can bring the mentor new ideas and knowledge to the relationship which could help the mentor in their career advancement (Wright 205). A new business ethic has arisen which indicates that the manager of a company is responsible to mentor their employees and their own promotion is based on the talent of their replacement (Hunt 475). If the replacement was properly trained and mentored by the manager, then the mentee should adequately replace the manager if promoted.  Through the reflection on the successful and not so successful mentoring relationships, mentors will be able to self-evaluate and judge the relationships to learn and adapt to better achieve in their next mentoring opportunity (Bloom 269). This will make them a better teacher and communicator. To say that mentoring relationships are only beneficial for the mentor would be an understatement.
Career Development and Advancement
Career related mentorships gives the mentee a sense of personal development and competency in that field (Baranik). Also, the mentor can help the protégé establish career goals and what paths to take to ultimately reach those goals (Wright 205). “Having a mentor is associated with increased job satisfaction, higher salary, faster promotion, firmer career plans, and increased probability that the protégé will also become a mentor (Wright 204).” All these factors are somehow related to career advancement and getting to where one desires to be in their field. Career goals will be within reach because of the wise words and experienced lessons taught by a mentor. Organizational researchers concluded that mentoring relationships foster job commitment, higher levels of job satisfaction, and larger compensations (Baranik).
Establishing Mentorships
According to David Hunt and Carol Michael, there are several different variables that go into picking a mentor including: organizational, occupational, positional, and interpersonal (480). Hunt and Michael also state that age differential and gender can also play an impactful role in the success of the relationship (480). Too large of an age differential and the relationship becomes more like a parent-child relationship versus the intended peer-peer relationship (Hunt 480). It is also believed that the mentor and mentee must be of the same sex due to the idea of homophily (Hunt 480). Homophily deals with the successful interaction of two people based on similar beliefs, values, and social aspects (Hunt 480). Certain characteristics of the protégé will attract the mentor and could be selected for the following reasons: good performance, right social background, high visibility, and high potential (Hunt 481). Hunt and Michael believe that there are four stages in a mentoring relationship: the initiation, protégé, breakup, and lasting friendship stages (482). In the initiation stage, the selection by either the mentor or mentee is made by either party depending on the circumstance of the relation. The roles are defined, and the expectations are set forth by each party (Hunt 482).  The protégé stage is when the mentee’s work isn’t viewed as their own, but rather, “…as a by-product as the mentor’s instructions, encouragement, support, and advice (Hunt 483).” The relationship is ended during the so-called break-up stage where the relationship can end because of physical separation due to the movement of one party, the relationship could be toxic to one or both of the parties, and also because the mentor feels as though the mentee has matured enough to move on by themselves (Hunt 483).  The lasting friendship stage comes about as a result of a successful mentoring relationship where both parties remain in contact and serve as support for each other even though they may not formally be in a mentor relationship any longer (Hunt 483).
Concerns with Mentoring:
Janette Long in her paper, “The Dark Side of Mentoring” points to several things that could make a mentoring relationship a negative experience (120). These concerns include: time consumption, poor planning, unsuccessful matching, tension, and the overuse and overburdening of a mentor (Long 120). If the mentor and mentee don’t mesh well, then Long says that the relationship can be tainted and unproductive due to this lack of cohesion (122). The overuse of one mentor can also devalue the relationship with all mentees. Due to a possible shortage in available or suitable mentors, protégés can be left without enough time with their mentor to make a difference (Long 126). All these factors can have a negative impact on the mentee and mentor which will defeat the whole purpose of the relationship. However, through the successful planning and resource assessment, these problems shouldn’t arise in the first place.
Examples of Successful Mentoring Relationships:
Since the conception of the idea of mentors, there have been several very successful people who have relied on peers in their same career field, their parents and other relatives, coaches, or other close friends. Through the help of their mentors, they were able to learn and gain ideas that resonated with them. While obviously not everyone has the luxury of having such successful people to mentor them, it shows the effects a mentor can have on the mentee if the necessary time and dedication are put into the relationship. The following mentor-mentee relationships represent just a few of the countless examples.
Warren Buffet to Bill Gates
The two met at a dinner organized by Bill Gates’ mother and discussed several business strategies for Microsoft as well philanthropy (Rhodes). Today, Bill Gates is one of the most successful businessmen and is also a leader in charitable donations.
Ralph Waldo Emerson to Henry David Thoreau
A famous member of the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson helped mentor a fellow transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau (Rhodes). Emerson actually gave Thoreau his first journal and encouraged him to write. Thoreau was fascinated by Emerson’s views of the world and it influenced him to write about his surroundings (Rhodes). Both are considered two of the most successful and influential writers of the 19th century.
Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg
“In the early days of Facebook, Jobs reached out to Zuckerberg and discussed the best business and management decisions for the company (Rhodes)”.  Zuckerberg had grown to become one of the youngest and most successful CEOs of the 21st century thus far.
Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent
The two fashion designers met through a mutual friend they had at French Vogue (Rhodes). “Dior fascinated me. I couldn’t speak in front of him. He taught me the basis of my art. Whatever was to happen next, I never forgot the years I spent at his side,” Saint Laurent said when asked about their relationship (Rhodes). Saint Laurent was made designer at the Dior couture house which had been the mere beginning of his very successful career in fashion.
Ray Charles to Quincy Jones
Charles saw a lot of talent in Jones, who he said, “…was just an energetic young kid and he really loved music. You could tell that he wanted to learn, he wanted to know. And because I was able to show him some things, that made me happy, that’s what stirred my heart. I could help this kid (Rhodes).” Jones has decided to mentor several up and coming musical artists and is also a spokesperson for National Mentoring Month (Rhodes).
My Personal Experiences with Mentors:
I have come to realize that in my life, there a few people that stand out as mentors. I also have determined that I hope I can be a mentor one day. One is my grandfather who has taught me to be a better student. My grandfather always told my brother and me when we were growing up that school was important, and you wouldn’t have a second attempt at it. Even to this day, every time I talk to him, he tells me that I need to focus on school and keep up with all of my schoolwork. He has instilled in me a hard-working school ethic which I have done the best of my ability to uphold. I thank him for the success of academic life and for where I am today. Another one of my mentors is a third-year business student at Cal Poly named Yuli Sanchez. Through the Orfalea College of Business’s Peer Mentoring Program, all first-year business students are matched with a specially trained peer business student. This year, Yuli has taught me how to balance studying, sleep, and a social life as well as teach me how to register for classes and how to plan for the rest of my schooling. She has showed me how to be the best Cal Poly student through properly allocating time for academics and social events as well as how to be healthy in college. The last mentor that I would like to talk about is my winter quarter English professor Justin Swanson. Professor Swanson taught me to be a better writer and he’s also my first English teacher to show me that writing can be fun. He was also the first professor that showed me that professors at Cal Poly want to help and make sure every student succeeds. I now entrust in professors to help and resolve any issues I have. I consider myself very lucky and I am grateful for the gracious help that my mentors have provided for me. As mentioned, I hope to one day be a mentor to give back and make an impact on someone like my mentors have. This quarter, I have been training to be a Week of Welcome orientation leader which presents a great opportunity to mentor some of the incoming freshmen class at Cal Poly. I plan to take full advantage of this and become a great resource for any freshmen next year.
Conclusion:
Through the use of mentorships, both parties can benefit and become better people through the sharing of experiences and lessons. While most aren’t as lucky as those famous and successful mentor relationships mentioned, everyone can benefit from these relationships by learning and growing through the wise words of your mentor. I’m thankful for the mentors that I’ve had in my life and I hope that everyone here can also benefit from a mentor someday like I have. So, go out there and connect with someone with whom you could benefit from.