Write a blog entry on the significance,
importance, and/or impact of having a coach and/or a mentor to help you in your
professional journey.
A mentor or a coach can play a huge role in any career field. Sometimes having a mentor can help shape a potential company leader, influence a body of individuals, or help get a team motivated. In my discussion post this week, I mentioned that I was part of a mentor program when I was in the U.S. Navy. This programs intention was to help younger sailors connect with more seasoned sailors and for the younger sailors to identify with their mentors in order to build their career. Each sailor had the opportunity to take some time to get to know which person they may want to choose. After they determined who they wanted as a mentor, they took time to get to know them personally and then they set up their own mentor program based on the needs of the younger sailor.
When I began in the
program, I was paired up with a sailor that actually took time to get to know
my needs and really applied himself to me and the program. One of the benefits
of his effort was that I was able to get valuable insight to the system in
which I was trying to get qualified. My mentor was actually amazing, he had a
huge impact of my career and the direction it took. In some cases however,
there isn't quite the success that I experienced. Sometimes the
mentor didn't give any effort or direction. When a mentor
actually gives themselves to the program, a younger person
is ultimately the beneficiary. According to one source "To reap the benefits of
mentoring requires that protégés and mentors are carefully matched"
(Management, 2012). Like I observed, a mentor program can
be awesomely effective. A person can benefit in a number of areas
including, religion based learning, leadership skills, social interaction, and
mental growth. According to one of our readings this week, The benefits of mentoring to mentor
cannot be overemphasized. Mentor, even though, might an embodiment of
knowledge, skills and experience needed by mentee; he or she still stands
to gain a lot from mentoring relationship (Ayinde, 2011). A mentor can shape
your thought process, help you identify things you might not have noticed, and
help you better understand a situation or organization. The benefits of
that are endless.
In this weeks class discussion, a lot of
people shared the benefits of learning from other people. It was interesting to
see that programs like these are actually at work and are
being utilized as they were designed to be. I personally feel
that I am where I am today, thanks to the mentor program that the Navy had set
up. I was afforded great direction and knowledge which I was then able to pass
on to my protégé. I feel as though a mentor program can really help any leader
or organization.
Ayinde, A. T. (2011). Mentoring:
Does it work? Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychology, Obafemi Awolowo
University , Ile-Ife, Osun State
Management, R. (2012, October 16). Key Benefits of Mentoring.
Retrieved September 26, 2014, from
http://www.right.com/blog/careerpluswork/2012/key-benefits-of-mentoring/
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