Are you an everyday mentor?
In November of 2018 I wrote the article, “Are you an everyday mentor?”
As we adjust to the new realities of our workplace and how we interact with not only our coworkers but everyone around us traditional ways of mentoring may be hard to facilitate.
Instead of meeting up for coffee you may check in with your mentor/mentee via Zoom, Skype or Facetime. This may be a difficult adjustment for some but this doesn't change the overall experience of being or having a mentor in your life.
Everyone deserves to have a mentor in their lives. Whether it’s a teacher who inspires them, a parent that guides them or another person that they can learn from. Mentors can come into our lives at any time and for any purpose. The Everyday Mentor is often overlooked. There are people in our lives right now who we are learning from and we may not even realize it. Sometimes this happens in the form of what I call organic mentoring, an informal mentor relationship that eventually evolves into something formal.
Many of us have been blessed to have the opportunity to learn from amazing teachers or mentors. And some of us are privileged enough to work with coaches who help us grow in other ways. I believe that the Everyday Mentor is present now if you open your eyes and open up to the possibility. As a young child we may not realize that our parents or older siblings might be our first mentors. Or that one of our early teachers inspired us without us understanding it. These people were our Everyday Mentors. We may reflect back on this years later as we think about the lessons we’ve learned and who we learned those lessons from.
I think one of my first Everyday Mentors was my Grade 3 teacher. I remember her well. Her name was Mrs. Anderson, and I’ve tried to look her up on the internet without success. My guess is she’s left this earth and perhaps is fondly looking down on me now. It’s funny how something said to us so long ago can stick with us, even as our memories start to fade. I was always one of the smallest kids in the class and Mrs. Anderson was a petite woman as well, with beautiful brown shiny hair and always dressed impeccably. I had transferred schools so she was my first teacher there, and I had to learn French with a Grade 1 class as my prior school didn't have a French program. Can you imagine hanging out with the little bitty Grade 1s trying to catch up? Yikes.
Mrs. Anderson knew that I was shy and introverted (yes it’s true - though those who know me now will be shocked). Adjusting to a new school was bad enough, let alone having to be embarrassed and starting French lessons in that way. Mrs. Anderson was special and she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. You know the saying “Beautiful things come in small packages”. She once said that to me. And I remember it always. Many people might think about a diamond ring, or a pearl in an oyster, or a new born baby bundled up. Whatever your treasure you might relate. I, however, knew she was talking about me, always the tiniest in the class, feeling small, trying to belong. She saw in me a strength and beauty that I think I took with me from that Grade 3 class forward. And although sometimes that little pearl lost herself, her beauty always seemed to surface again.
Words from a wise mentor can stay with us for a lifetime. Everyday words are equally as important as the quotes from the great ones like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Oprah Winfrey and Albert Einstein, and the many others I see quoted on Instagram and Twitter. Yes, I am inspired by these greats, but I am inspired by the Everyday Mentor as well. Every day. Everyday Mentors.
Some of you may be in the position where you have lost contact with your mentor/mentee for one reason or another. It’s never too late to reignite that connection especially during a time where now more than ever we need to lean on each other.
Take a look around you. Look up. Look down. Look sideways. These mentors are within your reach if you choose to be open. If you choose to listen. Find your Everyday Mentor.
If you are interested in some resources on mentoring, check out the links below. And stay tuned for some more mentoring posts and resources created by Life Works Well just for you!
For help mentoring youth in Canada and the U.S.:
For entrepreneurs or individuals:
Employment and Social Development Canada
For virtual mentoring:
National Mentoring Resource Center
For inspiration:
“Apprenticeship and Mentorship is so important” says @RebekahNeumann @WeWork in her interview with @LewisHowes Purpose Driven Business Lewis Howes podcast
This post was originally written on LinkedIn and was modified and updated.