William Montgomery Cerf is a mentor and leader in education advancement. In the following article, Monty Cerf discusses the most important benefits of becoming a mentor, and how mentoring effects both student and teacher.
A mentorship can be the difference between a good career and a great one.
Mentoring helps high school students look confidently into the future and support college graduates as they settle into a career with confidence.
These teachers often play a vital role in developing skills before and after employment. About 84% of Fortune 500 companies invest in mentorship programs; 100% of Fortune 50 companies do the same.
Mentors are advocates, counselors, coaches, and teachers. They support promising careers for a new generation of game-changers.
And they’re now more important than ever before.
Monty Cerf – A Renewed Focus on Mentorships
In the age of the Great Resignation, companies are increasingly relying on coaching programs to stay successful.
William Montgomery Cerf says that the COVID-19 pandemic paired with inflation and likely recession has led to employees seeking out more stable environments. Other employees want to show their worth by taking part in a mentorship program that solidifies their commitment to a company and sets them up for advancement.
While such programs have long existed in high schools, colleges and workplaces, there has been a 34% rise in career advocacy programs and a 30% increase in mentorship since the pandemic began, according to a survey reports William Montgomery Cerf.
Types of Mentors
There are many ways to be a successful mentor. These strategies are most effective when tailored to an individual’s needs and goals.
Broadly, mentorships may be formal (typically in a structured plan developed by a company) or informal (an organic pairing based on shared duties or interests).
Within both categories, William Montgomery Cerf explains that great mentors are typically company leaders or longtime employees that have specialized knowledge and stellar reputations. They help mentees make lasting network connections within their field.
They often fall under these common mentorship categories that may overlap:
• Career
William Montgomery Cerf explains that a career advocate and adviser rolled into one, these advocates focus on detailed career goals and usually work at the same company in roles that are senior to a mentee. They help employees gain insight into the inner workings of a company, guide them through company transitions, and help them through important projects or assignments.
• Peer
Peer mentors are similar to career counselors. They usually work alongside a mentee but more often than not the pair have parallel job titles or duties. Peer mentors are frequently used as part of training new employees beyond orientation, helping other employees settle into their work by going over procedures and resources.
• Life
Career advocates can also be life coaches, but this type of counseling is more often found outside of the workplace. Like other forms of mentoring, life counselors share personal and professional experiences with mentees, but they can be friends, neighbors, and family in addition to colleagues.
William Montgomery Cerf explains that they focus on personal development but also offer professional and career support.
Benefits
Mentored employees overwhelmingly are happy employees. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees say they would remain with the company longer if it offered career development and mentorship-based learning.
William Montgomery Cerf says that mentoring is a powerful professional development tool. In a workplace, it pairs seasoned experts with promising newcomers and connects them with opportunities such as training, conferences, and networking chances.
Advocates are usually among the most respected employees of a company. They are people other people want to be associated with.
Mentees receive invaluable insight into how a company works and how it wants to work in the future. Key institutional knowledge is imparted during mentorships, information that is often not covered in orientation or when an employee is settling in.
Day-to-day skills are honed, and employees participating in advocacy programs are five times more likely to be promoted, according to various studies.
Other Key Benefits
William Montgomery Cerf says that mentorships offer key benefits as well. Leadership skills are developed further, and these teachers often learn even more about a company, especially if its nature is changing or if it is making use of advanced technology.
Mentoring also offers exposure to a range of various opinions and thoughts. It can challenge the way a person thinks about an issue or an approach to doing business. It can open a person to alternative mindsets.
Like mentees, mentors are usually more satisfied with their job and with the workplace overall. Programs help to see their true value and become more confident in their roles and impact.
It puts certain specialized skills on display or helps to refine personal and professional behavior. While these programs effectively shape the next generation of leaders in a company, it also strengthens current leaders’ skills.
While counseling programs mostly enhances the network of a mentee, William Montgomery Cerf says that becoming a mentor can help expand one’s network as well. Mentees may have connections that can be shared and have the option of joining associations to meet other supportive company programs around the country to share techniques.
3 Key Considerations
Thinking of signing on to become a workplace advocate? The most effective mentors fit the following:
- They believe in the potential of the person.
- They make themselves available, are approachable, patient, and honest, and offer unwavering support in good and bad times.
- They set goals to help a mentee’s career that are measurable and realistic.
