Many people who are considering the benefits of having a solid mentor have the same question running through their heads: I’ve already got a million voices telling me what to do. Why would I need one more? When it comes down to it, a good mentor will not be commanding you from the sidelines and telling you what to do. A true mentor will be in the game with you, participating as a coach and guide.
Here are three critical differences between a great mentor and a director:
1. A great mentor allows you to make the decisions.
Many people who feel a need for direction in their careers or lives instinctively like the idea of having someone more experienced simply tell them what to do. We all like easy answers! But a mentor will not tell you “do this” or “choose that.” Instead, he or she will participate in the decision-making with you, ask you deeper questions you might have missed, and teach you how to think and respond well. Mentoring is about walking alongside another in life, not about making decisions for another person. The result? Real strengthening for both parties.
2. A great mentor cares for you more than themselves.
Some who work as directors for people do so for their own benefit, whether they realize it or not. They help others merely in an effort to promote themselves. But a true mentor helps others for the other person’s benefit. A good mentor knows how to remain patient and stay invested in your growth on your time. You direct your life, while the mentor walks with you as one devoted to your well-being and success.
3. A great mentor participates.
When we talk about participation in mentorship, three words come into focus – with, for, and toward. Mentors make a rigorous commitment to be with a person through difficulty and success. Mentors are for that person, always seeking their good. And mentors are working toward specific goals that they and their mentees agree upon. In this way, rather than directing from the sidelines, the mentor participates with you.
A quality mentor knows the difference between investment in others and barking orders or offering quick answers that might seem easy in the moment, but do little to help shape a person. A true mentor’s ultimate goal is to participate with you as a friend, helping to strengthen you on the road toward real confidence and success.