Who can be a mentor?

Mentoring can be a daunting concept. You won’t be alone in thinking “Oh that’s not for me, I don’t have enough experience to be a mentor”. But at Digital Boost, we see mentoring a little differently.

We prefer to think of it as a conversation where you share your skills and experience with someone who needs some help. No one knows everything, but everyone knows something they can share with someone else. Does that sound more like something you could do?

Let’s dive into what makes an amazing business mentor, the key skills you’re going to need, and how you can get started on your mentoring journey 🚀

Who can be a business mentor?

Guess what? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. At Digital Boost, we believe that anyone with a willingness to make a positive impact can be a mentor. Whether you’re a seasoned professional working in the corporate space, a tech guru, a creative genius, or own your own business, your unique experiences and insights can be invaluable to someone seeking guidance to grow their business.

Mentorship transcends age, gender, and background – it’s all about the willingness to share, listen, and uplift. So, if you have a genuine desire to help others thrive and the humility to learn from your mentees as well, you’re already halfway there! 🤗

What makes a great mentor?

1. Passion for Sharing: A great mentor is someone who has a genuine passion for sharing knowledge. Whether it’s providing specific industry advice, offering entrepreneurial guidance, or unravelling complex concepts – when you’re excited to share your knowledge, it’s contagious! When mentees feel that excitement, they become inspired and more confident as they embark on their business journey.
2. Active Listening Skills: The best mentors are good listeners. They listen to their mentees’ needs, concerns, and aspirations, creating a safe space for open and honest conversations. Taking an empathetic approach to mentoring allows you to build trust with your mentees and give them the support they need.
3. Patience: Being a good mentor means understanding that not everyone has the same experiences or learns at the same pace, and that’s okay! Great mentors lead their sessions with patience and empathy, understanding that growth takes time and will look different for each mentee.
4. Constructive Feedback: As a mentor, you need to be able to give feedback that’s both insightful and constructive. It’s important to guide your mentee towards new ways of thinking, without impacting their confidence. Great mentors will be able to deliver feedback in a way that’s positive and nurturing.
5. Encouragement and Motivation: Being a mentor isn’t just about providing knowledge; it’s about being a cheerleader for your mentees! Great mentors offer encouragement, nudging mentees past self-doubt and inspiring them to continue chasing their goals.

Your journey to becoming a mentor

So, how can you kickstart your journey as a mentor? Here’s how to get started:

1. Choose your skills: We’ve all got skills that will help others and often, we don’t even realise they are skills! Think about what you do for a living, what skills you do daily that are specific to your job, and what you’ve picked up over the course of your career – what can you share with others? People often say that being a mentor helps their confidence and this is one of the reasons why! You’ll be surprised how much you have to share. 💖
2. Decide what type of mentoring you want to do – Think about what kind of mentoring you want to do. Do you prefer one-off conversations or building an ongoing mentoring relationship? At Digital Boost, we offer both! Think about how much time you want to give, and when you can fit it into your schedule. 🤔
3. Find a platform: Mentoring is becoming more popular and there’s now a community out there that will suit every mentor! Whether you’re looking to offer business mentoring (as we do at Digital Boost) or you’re looking to mentor young people from underprivileged backgrounds, a quick scan of Google will be the best starting point for finding an opportunity that’s right for you!
4. Look for training opportunities – Many mentoring platforms will offer training and development opportunities (like Digital Boost’s Mentor Training course) that will help you become an amazing mentor AND benefit your career too.

Conclusion

In the words of Mandy Bailey, one of our volunteer mentors from our partners at Royal Bank of Scotland’s MentorMatch programme, if you’ve got a skill, you can be a mentor! Mentoring isn’t just about expertise, it’s about human connection and having a passion to see people excel. At Digital Boost, we firmly believe that mentorship has the power to drive positive change in the digital world and beyond.

If you’ve reached the end of this blog post, we’re confident you’ve got the passion and skills to become one of our volunteer mentors! Click here to join our community and find out more about our mentoring mission 👇