According to mogul Richard Branson, “If you ask any successful businessperson, they will always (say they) have had a great mentor at some point along the road.” The benefits of having a great mentor are life changing. Mentees aren’t the only ones who benefit from great relationships with their mentors however. There are tons of benefits for mentors as well. If you’ve been considering becoming a mentor this year, here are three odd reasons you should sign up today:
Mentoring helps you predict the future.
Have you ever wished you could predict the future? Maybe you would love to win the lottery, or discover what your life’s purpose really is. Well, mentoring helps you predict the future, sort of. It is proven that mentoring helps shape the lives of youth and increases the chance of mentees becoming successful adults. Research shows that students who participate in mentoring programs are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, and 52% less likely to skip school than students who do not participate in programs. As a mentor you play a significant role in shaping our future leaders of the world and making the odds of a brighter future for mentees and their communities higher.
Mentoring annihilates your own fears of the monster under your bed (or whatever else you’re afraid of).
Mentoring requires responsibility. It requires you to be the best version of yourself on an ongoing basis. Great mentors connect with their mentees at such a level that they have great influence over them. This influence helps mentors develop confidence and leadership skills and helps to improve performance. With more confidence and enhanced performance, mentors are able to overcome their own fears and reach new levels of success in their personal and professional lives.
Mentoring gets you extra servings of bacon.
The average American consumes nearly 18 pounds of bacon per year. It is pretty safe to say that American’s cannot get enough of the delicious breakfast side. Becoming a mentor helps you get even more bacon; How so? Mentoring enhances your cover letter and improves the odds of you getting a raise and a promotion at your job. According to a study conducted by Sun Microsystems, mentors are six times more likely to be promoted and 28% more likely to receive a raise over their non-mentor peers. With a better position and more money, you will be able to afford all of the bacon you want.
Extraordinary mentors are needed on an ongoing basis to help build trusting relationships, energizing experiences, unforgettable life lessons, and winning futures for both mentees and mentors. Whether you invest one day or years to mentoring, the benefits are explosive.
Want to learn more about mentoring with Winning Futures? Visit www.winningfutures.org/volunteer/mentor for details.