I still hear what my Mom told me when I was young: it is better to give than it is to receive. One gift that is just as good for leaders to give as it is to receive, is mentoring.
So much of the research on workplace mentoring looks at the benefits of receiving mentoring. Mentees have higher job satisfaction, higher salaries, and higher promotion rates than those who don’t receive mentoring. Makes sense.
But what about the mentor? If you mentor others, does it help you? My research on mentoring at CCL says emphatically, YES. Managers who mentor their direct reports are seen as better at their jobs and more promotable. And for leaders managing for the first time in their lives who are usually front-line leaders, those at first- or entry-levels of leadership in organizations, my research on first-time managers at CCL here and here shows that the ability to mentor, coach, and develop others is an imperative for leaders, and one that is a big challenge for leaders to excel in as well.
