It's more important than ever for our community to work together to provide strong support for each other and ensure that while having to socially isolate we don’t become isolated.
We are living in challenging times, which bring constant uncertainty. The initial aim of the mentoring platform was to provide a tool you could use to help support your career development and to share knowledge. While that is still the case, it also provides an online facility to find a mentor to help support you through current challenges, or for you to offer your support to others as a mentor. You may not be able to solve all the challenges we will face going forward but additional support and ideas could be invaluable.
Some of us may find we have more time on our hands than we normally would and so finally have the time to invest in developing a mentoring relationship, one which will continue well beyond the foreseeable future and will support our long-term career development.
Others will find that their time is taken by coping with the ever-changing situation, so support needs may be less long-term and formal. However, a shorter-term mentor to bounce ideas off and to provide a different perspective could still be invaluable.
Research has shown that mentoring programmes offer benefits for both parties.
Benefits of mentoring
- Being a mentor can bring mental health benefits. The interaction from mentoring increases social engagement, which helps people avoid loneliness and reduces the risk of depression
- The experience gives the mentor a chance to revisit obstacles they have overcome and the successes they have achieved, which can help focus on the positive aspects of life
- By mentoring a younger mentee, you will not only be passing on knowledge you have gained, but also learning from a generation connected in very different ways
- Adding a mentoring role to your CV will reinforce your status as a thought leader and expert
- Learning how to communicate, engage, and teach diverse individuals will cultivate your management skill set
Benefits of being a mentee
The right mentor can change your life.
Having an experienced, trusted supporter to give you valuable advice and help you realise your biggest career, business or life goals is invaluable. Mentors have guided some of the world's most influential people. For example:
- Bill Gates had Warren Buffet as a mentor
- Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs
- Sir Richard Branson was mentored by Sir Freddie Laker
Last reviewed: 12 December 2024