Mentorship vital to personal, professional life

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sergeant George Stewart
  • 615th Contingency Operations Support Group, Superintendent
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE,Calif. --  If you head any organization, business or family, learning to mentor others is one of the most important things you will ever do as its leader. Mentorship without a doubt has an incredibly high return on investment.

It not only helps the individuals you mentor by making them more confident, energetic and productive but it also promotes personal, professional growth and the health of the organization, business and even the family.

A mentor can provide a subordinate or child with a safe place and constructive activities. A mentor can take an individual to a doctor or dentist or clinic for a checkup or health problem. A mentor can offer practical advice on the world of work. Sometimes, mentor/mentee relationships develop out of job training relationships. The realm of mentorship often extends between the standard confines of an office or cubical. Sometimes, mentors and mentees work side by side serving their communities

Leaders serve as mentors by making themselves accessible and available. It's sharing yourself, your influence, position, power and opportunities with others for the purpose of investing in their lives so they can function at their best. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by subordinates by providing clear and concise guidance for personal or professional development. When used in a corrective, supportive manner, they utilize that tutorial session to create an environment where problem analysis is substituted for blame.

People under the influence of an empowering mentor are like paper in the hands of a talented artist. No matter what they're made of, they become treasures. The ability to mentor others is the key to personal and professional success. No matter how engaging your personality may be, you or the organization will not advance far if you cannot mentor others to grow.

Finally, mentors simply by being mentors can make their lives a public lesson. Talk is cheap and people can spot efforts that are not genuine or sincere a block away. The acts of mentorship change lives and it is a win win situation for you and the people you mentor. When a busy leader or any person of positive influence takes time out of his or her full schedule to care for a person in need, that leader or mentor teaches that individual more about the importance of giving back than a hundred sermons.