The word ‘mentor’ originates from the story The Odyssey. When the legendary character Odysseus is preparing to leave for the Trojan War he places his good friend Mentor in charge of his son Telemachus. Knowing that he would likely be gone for years (albeit his adventures lasted even longer than he expected), Odysseus had to be extremely precise in picking the man he would trust to look after his son. Odysseus was essentially choosing who he felt would best replica of a father figure for his only son; who would help his son develop from a boy into a man. This is where we derive our word mentor: “A wise and trusted advisor”.
Yet despite the significant origin of this word, the responsibility is treated as a side thought. All too often mentors will utter this worthless statement “Let me know how I can help”. In one simple sentence the so-called mentor has shifted all responsibility on to the shoulders of their mentee, and effectively demolished the words' worth. Mentors assume that their mentees will always come to them for help and that growth will just happen on its own, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, nor could it be more disconcerting. If you choose to accept the responsibility of being a mentor, then you should act like one worthy of the word’s origin.
While mentoring is important in many areas of our life, we as Toastmasters must be especially aware of how mentoring can impact our club and its members. Here is how mentoring can make an impact:
Member Retention
· Dedication to better mentoring will show members that the club cares about their growth and development; creating a better sense of community
· Overall club satisfaction will improve through the better sense of community
· Members will develop better which will solidify their purpose for joining Afterburners
· Mentors will be accountable for someone aside from themselves
New Members
· Another way of showing new members that Toastmasters care about their success and helping them achieve their personal/professional goals
· It will provide them extra confidence knowing that they have someone to lead, support, and advise them
· They will have a specific someone who understands their unique needs; who knows how best to encourage and motivate them
Member Activity
· Mentees will be more likely to step into roles as the mentor encourages them
· Mentors will become more involved in the club as they take on active mentoring roles
· Mentors will also improve better as leaders and speakers – sometimes the best way to learn is to teach
There is a lot that goes into serving as a mentor, and there is no ceiling for improvement, but if you are new to the position here are a few simple steps you can take to improve:
· The biggest step towards improvement one can make is simply to care; care about the mentee's development as much as you care about your own. This will naturally translate into improved mentoring
· Learn about why your mentee joined Toastmasters in the first place. The better you understand their needs and goals, the better you will be able to help them.
· Be proactive with your mentee; don’t wait for them to come to you with questions. Be willing to ask them questions about what they’re experiencing. Ask them about their upcoming speech, whether there are any specific leadership roles they would like to take, and freely offer advice and encouragement after their speeches.
· The biggest difference between a mentor and a mentee is that the mentor has experienced a number of lessons and situations that the mentee has not. By simply sharing these experiences with the mentee, and discussing what can be learned from them the mentee can gain significant knowledge beyond their more limited experiences.
The value of mentoring is significant, so if you choose to take a role as a mentor within your club, take it seriously. Don’t treat it like taking the role of timer or vote counter at your weekly meeting, the role of a mentor carries much more weight. While we may not have the same amount of responsibility in Toastmasters that Mentor had in raising Telemachus, we must treat the opportunity to mentor with the same amount of respect.
