Find a Mentor in 2023 if You Want to Unlock Your Full Potential

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Do you want to make 2023 your year? You might be wondering how you can truly unlock your full potential, lucky for you, we have the secret. We believe that if you want to truly thrive at what you do, then you should be seeking assistance from a mentor and focus on building a strong mentoring relationship. The people we surround ourselves with can have a huge influence on our personal and professional development, helping us go further and motivating us to be the best version of ourselves.

Whilst mentoring is becoming a more and more favoured tool by organisations and individuals across the globe, a shocking number of people still have no idea what a mentor even is. Simply put, a mentor is a more skilled individual with knowledge in a certain area that you want to learn about. A mentor is there to offer help and direction to their mentee, whilst aiding them to achieve their dreams and goals.

Whether you want a promotion or want to learn new skills to help you stay competitive, mentoring is always a terrific option because you’re learning from someone who is not only invested in making sure you achieve success both personally and professionally but someone who has all the previous experience to make sure you're on the right track. A good mentor is there to support you in identifying strengths and weaknesses, whilst building a trusting relationship where you have someone to turn to when you need it.

That’s why throughout this article, we will be discussing some of the key benefits of finding a mentor and why you should look for one if you want to flourish in 2023.

1. Mentors Keep You Accountable

Accountability is one of the fundamental aspects of a mentoring relationship, because not only does it help keep you motivated to achieve your goals but also keeps you on the right track. When you have a mentoring relationship, you should be having regular sessions with your mentor, to help you address your goals and continuously improve.

When someone holds you accountable for your personal self-development, then you will feel more engaged and motivated to make sure it’s a success. The mentoring relationship is driven by the mentee, who is responsible for taking control of their own learning. An example of this is the mentee setting a goal that they need to achieve within the next 3 months, the mentoring relationship means that the mentor and mentee can work together in this time frame, regularly reviewing the processes and making sure targets are being met.

2. Mentors Help You Make Connections

Mentoring isn’t just about learning, networking plays a huge role in the mentoring process. One of the key benefits of having a mentor is their ability to help you make relationships with other professionals. The role of a good mentor is to help their mentee build a professional network, whilst teaching them the skills they need to effectively interact with others. With over 85% of positions filled through networking, it's no surprise that professionals are now prioritising these skills and looking for new ways to build associations.

Over the years, your mentor has been able to build a significant network of professionals, from all different industries. It’s your mentor's role to help connect with others who may be of interest or can create possible opportunities in the future that will help your career advancement and development. For example, you may be a student looking for graduate opportunities, your mentor may be able to connect you with someone who can help make this a possibility.

3. You’ll Receive Honest Feedback From Your Mentor

Feedback is underrated but an essential part of professional and personal development, with an impressive 75% feeling that feedback is extremely valuable. When you enter a mentoring relationship, the goal is always to build a trusting relationship that allows you to obtain constructive feedback from your mentor. There's a reason why people say that feedback is a gift, because when you receive it the possibilities are endless, allowing you to continually improve.

A good mentor will always supply their mentee with honest and constructive feedback, as a way to help support the growth and development of their mentee, instead of making them feel bad about themselves. A good mentor can identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer support and guidance on how you can better yourself going forward. An example of this is a mentor providing their mentee feedback on their CV to help them improve it to boost their odds of landing a dream role.

4. Mentoring Allows You to Gain New Perspectives

Each conversation you have with someone new, means you’re gaining a new perspective. When you speak to someone who has a dissimilar background, diverse experiences and fresh viewpoints, you get to learn from someone's personal experiences. Finding a mentor is a great way to gain new perspectives because they have been there, and had the t-shirt.

Whether you find a mentor to help you on your career journey, or find one to help you change your mindset, your mentor will be able to share practical advice and insight that comes directly from their personal journey. Your mentor knows exactly what skills are needed to help you achieve your goals and go further because they have had to do it themselves to get where they are.

A mentor allows you to learn from real-life experiences, where they can share their best tips and tricks for helping you overcome any challenges you may face that could potentially get in the way of your successes. For example, you may be facing an issue in the workplace that your mentor has previously dealt with, they will be able to give you support on how you can combat these challenges by providing you with insight into their own experiences.

5. Mentors Act as a Sounding Board

Mentors are a great sounding board. When you have a mentor, you have someone to bounce ideas off and discuss any issues you may be facing. The role of the mentor is to provide unbiased advice and guidance, using their own experience, knowledge and wisdom to help come up with a suitable solution. No matter the problem you face, your mentor is there to act as a listening ear, to help you try and express your thoughts and feelings about specific situations, whilst eventually providing you feedback on how you can handle the problems you encounter.

Whether you have new ideas you want to share before taking them to your boss or just want to gain some honest feedback on a certain situation, the role of the mentor is to help you understand what steps you should be taking or if the idea just wouldn’t be appropriate. A great example of how a mentor can act as a sounding board is a mentee reaching out to their mentor to seek advice on how they should handle workplace conflict, with the mentor offering guidance based on personal experiences they may have faced in the bath, helping you come up with a solution.

6. Finding a Mentor Can Help You Develop Skills

Not only can mentors be highly useful for helping you identify what skills you need to meet your objectives, but they are also particularly effective at helping you develop the skills you need to be prosperous. When you have a mentor, you automatically learn and improve skills such as listening and problem-solving, however, one of the key benefits is the ability to help you develop new skills to support your personal and professional development journey.

Whether you want to develop your leadership skills or simply want to learn how to be more engaging on social media, your mentor is there to help you develop and grow your skill set. Who better to learn from than someone who is already an expert? An example of this could be connecting with a mentor who specialises in software that you need to learn to advance in your career, you can work with your mentor to learn how to do so to help you achieve your career goals.

7. Mentoring Leads to Improved Well-Being and Mental Health

Mentoring has been linked to improved mental health and well-being for the mentee. Studies have shown that mentoring is highly effective at improving things such as the self-confidence of the mentee, combating anxiety and enhancing the overall satisfaction of the mentee within their career. That’s why we believe this is one of the most important advantages of mentoring for personal and professional development.

With 1 in 4 people in England experiencing a mental health issue yearly in England, and the growing need for improved well-being, there's no shock that people are now seeking out mentors to help them combat the burdens they face. From acting as a sounding board to being there to offer advice in a time of need, mentoring relationships time and time again have proven influential in helping individuals feel happier. An example of this is a mentor and mentee connecting to work on the self-confidence of the mentee, which will result in the mentee being more engaged and confident in their abilities. When someone feels more confident, they can overcome barriers of self-doubt.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, a list of some of the incredible benefits associated with having a mentor. Whilst this is just a short list of benefits, ultimately, the benefits of mentoring are endless when you find an awesome mentor who adds value to your life. If you want to flourish in 2023, we truthfully recommend finding a mentor to help you accomplish your goals and become the best version of yourself.

If this list inspired you to find a mentor in 2023, then make sure to read our latest article here to discover 5 ways you can find one or sign up for PushFar free today. We have an open network of over 100,000 mentors and mentees, looking to connect with like-minded professionals who are interested in helping others develop, grow and unlock their full potential.