Coaching and mentoring are increasingly becoming indispensable for professional development, which indicates a positive change in individuals, showing their willingness to learn and grow. Organizations and companies find coaching and mentoring highly beneficial for the career growth of their employees. This helps not only the employee grow but also boosts the reputation of the organization, as a place which is concerned about the careers and growth of its employees. Even if your organization does not have a system of assigning you to mentors, it is still a great idea to find yourself one.

The best thing about a mentor is that you don’t have to be close to him or her personally, to benefit from his or her experiences. If you don’t live in the same city, or if you only talk once a month over phone or even if you only communicate via email—that’s okay!

Here are the first three of the five reasons for it!

1. Foundation for a professional network. Having a great mentor, especially as you start your career, can jumpstart your professional network. Your mentor can introduce you to others in his or her network, and those connections can prove to be invaluable. There will be people who will take time for you because both you and they are connected to your mentor. Building a professional network is the key to growth and chances that you will find your next mentor through this very strategy can be pretty high. Nevertheless, getting the referral of someone who counts, is a huge boost anywhere.
2. Improvement in Performance. With the help of a good mentor, you can work more efficiently with a clearer view of the future you are trying to achieve. This helps you feel more confident in your job, which leads to better job performance and more success along your chosen road.
3. Thinking Outside the Box. A mentor can help you look at situations in new ways. He or she can ask hard questions and help you solve problems. They can help you gain a level of self-awareness which you thought you weren’t capable of. Facts like using your emotional intelligence to make judgements, reviews and take risks can be learnt from talking to a mentor, because you’ll never be as scared as they were when they did something risky. You will become proficient in understanding your own judgements and take the path less taken to overcome obstacles.

If you see reason in the first three reasons, you are going to like our concluding post on this topic even more. Tune in to our blog for the second part on “5 Reasons Why You Need a Mentor”!