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3 Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Become Mentors

If you want to manage people effectively, mentoring is a great way to cultivate soft skills like empathy and communication. Devoting some of your time to this rewarding...

I wasn’t always enthusiastic about structured mentoring programs. I appreciated the advice and was happy to help my peers when I had the time, but formal mentoring seemed to be a step too far.

What could mentorship give me that everyday interactions with my coworkers couldn’t?

I was wrong. After many wonderful mentoring experiences, I’ve learned how valuable and humbling it is to take on the role of a mentor. I can only hope that my mentees have gotten as much out of the experience as I have, as mentoring has made me both a better manager and a better colleague. Here’s why:

 

Improve your managerial style

Have you ever seen a video of yourself and been surprised at how you look and sound? Mentoring has been like that for me. In our day-to-day interactions with our team, it’s possible to overlook our own self-awareness, but when we become a mentor, we’re forced to think carefully about how our mentee sees us, and how our actions and words impact their development.

When I first started mentoring, I found it hard to put myself in the shoes of those who didn’t have my training and experience. I operated under the “curse of knowledge.” I was terse when I should have been expansive. I found it frustrating that my mentee was unable to grasp what I considered to be relatively simple concepts.

 

Entrepreneurs should be mentors
Photo: © santypan, YFS Magazine

As the mentoring process progressed, I began to analyze how I presented new ideas. I came to the realization that I was not being an effective mentor. I changed my approach and, rather than talking at my mentees, began to talk to them; verifying that they understood each concept before moving on to the next.

Later, I applied the same approach to managerial situations and sales meetings. This lesson, which I may not have learned had I not become a mentor, has helped me communicate successfully with colleagues and customers for many years now.

 

Deepen your understanding

There’s nothing more valuable to our own understanding than having to explain ourselves to someone else. I hadn’t questioned my understanding of a particular topic for many years when I talked to my mentee about it. She listened politely, and after I’d finished my long explanation, asked, “But wouldn’t it be better to do it this way?” She detailed an alternative approach — a superior approach — that I had never considered. Mentoring is a two-way learning process.

It can be difficult for the mentor to stop and listen to the mentee. Meanwhile, mentees can often feel too intimidated to offer their own ideas. Many new mentors will have to make a conscious effort to encourage mentees to speak up and contribute.

I’ve found the best way to do this is to ask questions. Ask mentees how they would solve a problem, and gently critique their response. Give them plenty of praise and make it clear that you’re happy to be interrupted if they have a thought. Cultivate an environment in which a healthy debate is welcomed.

 

Build trust for your team

There’s a confidence in one’s own knowledge and capabilities that is common to business leaders and entrepreneurs. It’s what drives us to build businesses and persevere in the face of failure. But there are downsides, too: one fo mine was an unwillingness to trust the judgment of other people. I was prone to micromanage, especially in technical scenarios. After all, I had the technical expertise.

 

Business reputation tips for entrepreneurs
Photo: © santypan, YFS Magazine

As I spent time talking to people I mentored, I began to understand that, in many cases, they were just as adept as I was — often more so. They lacked the experience and applied knowledge to make the right call in some scenarios. But the more time I spent with them, the clearer it became to me that they could be trusted with a degree of autonomy that would previously have been impossible for me to give.

 

Final thoughts

My company provides infrastructure hosting services for websites and web apps; it’s a technical field and small mistakes can have big consequences for our clients. I used to be a bit of a control freak, checking and double checking the work of my team.

After having mentored my team members, I’ve learned they’re just as diligent and obsessed with getting it right as I am, which helps me relax. It’s a win-win scenario, as they feel trusted and know that their expertise and autonomy is valued, while I have more time to focus on big-picture issues.

If you want to manage people effectively, mentoring is a great way to cultivate soft skills like empathy and communication. Devoting some of your time to this rewarding activity can yield a high impact on your own managerial style.

 

This article has been edited.

Vik Patel is a prolific tech entrepreneur with a passion for all things cloud and the COO of Detroit-based Nexcess.

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