A success tweet holds thus: “Mentors are positive people who help you find the lessons in your experience, and use them to move forward”. Suffice it to say therefore, that it takes a positively minded person to give himself or herself to help another learn, grow and succeed; because mentorship is like holding up a mirror to one’s operating style and clearly seeing one’s reflection. And this is so true since mentors honestly reflect what they observe in a constructive manner.
It is in this light therefore, that I must affirm with special emphasis, the fact that mentoring is a sine quanon in the lives of all, as far as the transition from “nothingness” to “something” , and from being a “nobody” to being “somebody” is concerned. This two-fold program, permeates our every being in such a way that it doesn’t just simply presents us with the benefits inherent in it, but also bathes us with the richness of the mentor’s qualities which are in themselves very inspirational.
For instance, mentors help us grow by sharing their wisdom, skills, knowledge and expertise with us . Hence, relieving us of the stress of having to suffer the consequence of gaining that experience firsthand. They are always available and generous with their knowledge and creativity, and help us through tough times by showing us how to find opportunities in the difficulties we face. As a matter of fact, they are genuinely concerned about us and our successes – so much so that as very proactive and excellent listeners, they very quickly identify, clarify and articulate the issues we struggle with , and then proposed solutions in the form of opportunities ; leaving it to us to pursue them. A litany of other qualities abound.
As a mentee myself, mentoring has provided me with time to think over the directions my career is heading and start to set goals to get to where I need to go. It has enabled me to progress in a personal and professional way; to widen the areas of opportunity that I had not considered for my development within and outside the academia; giving me the confidence to develop a more effective communication with colleagues as well as help me to view things in different and yet more refined perspectives. This has given me greater confidence to ‘make it’. And this will stay with me for a long time.
It has taught me active listening and coaching skills that in the first place, have inspired me to put my fears on the table and disentangle things. This has helped to de-demonise public speaking for me as well as provided me with practical advice about time management and steps I can take to improve my future career prospects. Listening is a skill, and one has to be both constructive and supportive of his or her client. Now, I take great joy in mentoring my children in the secondary school where I teach . I love it more so now, when I can use my experience to accelerate the growth of someone else. It takes the sting out of the negative consequences I have experienced because of poor judgement . I find myself thinking “At least, they won’t have to go through that”. The more I do this, the more confident and successful I get. I am made to realise that in the end, it is not just simply about me; it is about the other person. It is a cycle- a triangle of some sort.
Furthermore, mentoring has helped me to “Face it”... i do not know everything about everything. It is as much about knowledge transfer. I have been humbled to accept my flaws and dogged ignorance, in a bid to build myself both mentally and spiritually for the impartation exercise. ‘You cannot give what you do not have’ it is said. Hence, to share knowledge, I must myself be knowledgeable and ably generous too.
Similarly, other areas of benefits include: helping me value my reputation and work, to protect and reiterate my values, financial management, areas of development for the future and plan for future research and career aspirations, as well as keying into the phenomenon of “Guide, don’t do”- since recommendations or suggestions aren’t necessarily actions in themselves. Hence, I have learnt to listen and proffer solutions, while leading my clients to launch into whatever projects they may undertake themselves.
Finally, I can categorically assert that what successes I have had, have occurred largely because of the influence of my mentor. I feel privileged to have met such a nice, smart, experienced, and understanding mentor who uses her experience to improve me. And we all should aspire to mentor and be mentored, to ensure a better world.[b]A success tweet holds thus: “Mentors are positive people who help you find the lessons in your experience, and use them to move forward”. Suffice it to say therefore, that it takes a positively minded person to give himself or herself to help another learn, grow and succeed; because mentorship is like holding up a mirror to one’s operating style and clearly seeing one’s reflection. And this is so true since mentors honestly reflect what they observe in a constructive manner.
It is in this light therefore, that I must affirm with special emphasis, the fact that mentoring is a sine quanon in the lives of all, as far as the transition from “nothingness” to “something” , and from being a “nobody” to being “somebody” is concerned. This two-fold program, permeates our every being in such a way that it doesn’t just simply presents us with the benefits inherent in it, but also bathes us with the richness of the mentor’s qualities which are in themselves very inspirational.
For instance, mentors help us grow by sharing their wisdom, skills, knowledge and expertise with us . Hence, relieving us of the stress of having to suffer the consequence of gaining that experience firsthand. They are always available and generous with their knowledge and creativity, and help us through tough times by showing us how to find opportunities in the difficulties we face. As a matter of fact, they are genuinely concerned about us and our successes – so much so that as very proactive and excellent listeners, they very quickly identify, clarify and articulate the issues we struggle with , and then proposed solutions in the form of opportunities ; leaving it to us to pursue them. A litany of other qualities abound.
As a mentee myself, mentoring has provided me with time to think over the directions my career is heading and start to set goals to get to where I need to go. It has enabled me to progress in a personal and professional way; to widen the areas of opportunity that I had not considered for my development within and outside the academia; giving me the confidence to develop a more effective communication with colleagues as well as help me to view things in different and yet more refined perspectives. This has given me greater confidence to ‘make it’. And this will stay with me for a long time.
It has taught me active listening and coaching skills that in the first place, have inspired me to put my fears on the table and disentangle things. This has helped to de-demonise public speaking for me as well as provided me with practical advice about time management and steps I can take to improve my future career prospects. Listening is a skill, and one has to be both constructive and supportive of his or her client. Now, I take great joy in mentoring my children in the secondary school where I teach . I love it more so now, when I can use my experience to accelerate the growth of someone else. It takes the sting out of the negative consequences I have experienced because of poor judgement . I find myself thinking “At least, they won’t have to go through that”. The more I do this, the more confident and successful I get. I am made to realise that in the end, it is not just simply about me; it is about the other person. It is a cycle- a triangle of some sort.
Furthermore, mentoring has helped me to “Face it”... i do not know everything about everything. It is as much about knowledge transfer. I have been humbled to accept my flaws and dogged ignorance, in a bid to build myself both mentally and spiritually for the impartation exercise. ‘You cannot give what you do not have’ it is said. Hence, to share knowledge, I must myself be knowledgeable and ably generous too.
Similarly, other areas of benefits include: helping me value my reputation and work, to protect and reiterate my values, financial management, areas of development for the future and plan for future research and career aspirations, as well as keying into the phenomenon of “Guide, don’t do”- since recommendations or suggestions aren’t necessarily actions in themselves. Hence, I have learnt to listen and proffer solutions, while leading my clients to launch into whatever projects they may undertake themselves.
Finally, I can categorically assert that what successes I have had, have occurred largely because of the influence of my mentor. I feel privileged to have met such a nice, smart, experienced, and understanding mentor who uses her experience to improve me. And we all should aspire to mentor and be mentored, to ensure a better world.[/b]A success tweet holds thus: “Mentors are positive people who help you find the lessons in your experience, and use them to move forward”. Suffice it to say therefore, that it takes a positively minded person to give himself or herself to help another learn, grow and succeed; because mentorship is like holding up a mirror to one’s operating style and clearly seeing one’s reflection. And this is so true since mentors honestly reflect what they observe in a constructive manner.
It is in this light therefore, that I must affirm with special emphasis, the fact that mentoring is a sine quanon in the lives of all, as far as the transition from “nothingness” to “something” , and from being a “nobody” to being “somebody” is concerned. This two-fold program, permeates our every being in such a way that it doesn’t just simply presents us with the benefits inherent in it, but also bathes us with the richness of the mentor’s qualities which are in themselves very inspirational.
For instance, mentors help us grow by sharing their wisdom, skills, knowledge and expertise with us . Hence, relieving us of the stress of having to suffer the consequence of gaining that experience firsthand. They are always available and generous with their knowledge and creativity, and help us through tough times by showing us how to find opportunities in the difficulties we face. As a matter of fact, they are genuinely concerned about us and our successes – so much so that as very proactive and excellent listeners, they very quickly identify, clarify and articulate the issues we struggle with , and then proposed solutions in the form of opportunities ; leaving it to us to pursue them. A litany of other qualities abound.
As a mentee myself, mentoring has provided me with time to think over the directions my career is heading and start to set goals to get to where I need to go. It has enabled me to progress in a personal and professional way; to widen the areas of opportunity that I had not considered for my development within and outside the academia; giving me the confidence to develop a more effective communication with colleagues as well as help me to view things in different and yet more refined perspectives. This has given me greater confidence to ‘make it’. And this will stay with me for a long time.
It has taught me active listening and coaching skills that in the first place, have inspired me to put my fears on the table and disentangle things. This has helped to de-demonise public speaking for me as well as provided me with practical advice about time management and steps I can take to improve my future career prospects. Listening is a skill, and one has to be both constructive and supportive of his or her client. Now, I take great joy in mentoring my children in the secondary school where I teach . I love it more so now, when I can use my experience to accelerate the growth of someone else. It takes the sting out of the negative consequences I have experienced because of poor judgement . I find myself thinking “At least, they won’t have to go through that”. The more I do this, the more confident and successful I get. I am made to realise that in the end, it is not just simply about me; it is about the other person. It is a cycle- a triangle of some sort.
Furthermore, mentoring has helped me to “Face it”... i do not know everything about everything. It is as much about knowledge transfer. I have been humbled to accept my flaws and dogged ignorance, in a bid to build myself both mentally and spiritually for the impartation exercise. ‘You cannot give what you do not have’ it is said. Hence, to share knowledge, I must myself be knowledgeable and ably generous too.
Similarly, other areas of benefits include: helping me value my reputation and work, to protect and reiterate my values, financial management, areas of development for the future and plan for future research and career aspirations, as well as keying into the phenomenon of “Guide, don’t do”- since recommendations or suggestions aren’t necessarily actions in themselves. Hence, I have learnt to listen and proffer solutions, while leading my clients to launch into whatever projects they may undertake themselves.
Finally, I can categorically assert that what successes I have had, have occurred largely because of the influence of my mentor. I feel privileged to have met such a nice, smart, experienced, and understanding mentor who uses her experience to improve me. And we all should aspire to mentor and be mentored, to ensure a better world.

Nice one

Thanks @AJOBI77