The Future of Mentorships
Entire civilizations have kept their traditions alive and relevant through education and under the supervision of mentorships. Now more than ever the proliferation of information is at a record high of human history. However, we have come to understand that access to this information does not always translate to proper utilization of it.
Mentors play an underrated but all too important role in our lives. From the ethical mentorship of the family unit who teach us at an early age the values of honesty, respect for elders, dining table etiquette, and empathy for others. To the more transitory mentorships of the office environment, which steer us in the direction of our chosen careers.
Mentorships have always been a discreet aspect of human history, ensuring that essential skills and services only accessible in local communities are passed down through generations. This is evident in many aspects of human culture such as family names e.g Hunter, Baker, Apesin, Apeja, Koleosho, or the discoveries of archeological finds such as expertly crafted tools used for farming and cultivation of crops.
Africa has a culture of reverence for the elderly because of their un-quantifiable years of wisdom and inner workings of the ways of the world. Nigeria is no different; the socio-cultural landscape is skewed towards elders, this has affected the passage of knowledge from the old to the young.
Current situation:
Mentorships, as earlier discussed require an open relationship based on trust and two-way communication. This key aspect is common to all mentorships; however, the Nigerian culture frowns upon communicating with adults in an equal setting. Although globalization has reduced these trends somewhat many cultures still need to shed some of the backward conventions they’ve nurtured through the centuries. We are seeing an emergence of a few mentorship programs, primarily in the tech space geared towards teaching digital skills to youths that will enable them to become entrepreneurs or aid their career growth. However these programs are being championed by a few private organizations with no external support, consequently, they are limited in their reach of mentees due to financial constraints. Finally, most so called mentorship programs are blatant cash grab attempts by devious firms that have no real intention of guiding participants through the many pitfalls of corporate life.
Opportunities:
As a nation of more than 200 million people, most of which are predominantly youth which could benefit from one form of vocational, technical, or professional mentorship. Nigeria is a mentor’s paradise. Because mentorship is to meant to satisfy the interests of both parties mentors too can develop leadership skills and gain a personal sense of satisfaction from knowing that they’ve given back to their society and played their part in serving the next generation.
Mentees can expand their knowledge and skills, gain valuable advice from more experienced people, and build their professional networks. Currently, female-focused mentorship programs are near to non-existent, these niche programs often allow women to feel empowered by arming them with skills, training, and networks that directly impact their careers. Oftentimes women indicate that a supportive mentor or mentorship program is what ultimately drives their passage towards career growth and success.
Potential challenges:
Every mentorship program aims to give back to the community, however, self-interest and egoism are applauded in our society. We celebrate individuals rather than institutions and as a result, not everyone feels the obligation to give back upon reaching success. This is one of the many challenges of an increasingly stifling environment that promotes any pathway to success no matter how devious.
There are also no clearly outlined objectives that these mentorship programs are supposed to achieve. While many mentorships equip their trainees with skills needed to thrive in the outside world, they don’t teach them techniques of real-world application. Mentoring partnerships are meant to help mentees translate theory into practice as they apply their new knowledge immediately to assignments and projects. Because of that, many mentees pass through these programs and leave them much the same way they entered.
There is also the challenge of limited access to mentors. This stems from a poorly planned system of communication between both parties. Any Nigerian knows of the multiple barriers restricting access to many of these mentor figures. Not only are they busy individuals but direct access to them is a rare occurrence because of the many gatekeepers that stand between them and their mentees.
Ways to do it better:
Blended mentoring is the implementation of IT into traditional mentoring programs. It is intended to allow career counseling and development services to adopt mentoring in their standard practices. This method leverages technology to keep both parties committed to each other’s responsibilities. By incorporating IT students can benefit from the technologies of e-mentoring while receiving direct and personal advice from the traditional method.
Mentorships should be adopted across all organizations. Mentoring empowers employees to reach their full personal and professional development as well as promotes their growth in a strategic and supportive manner, which leads to direct employer benefit. Mentoring motivates and engages top-talent employees, which is important because it is your top talent that provides you with the means to build sustainable methods for talent. An effective mentorship program brands your organization as the one who cares about its employees and helps your business continuously attract the best talent for the roles necessary. It also develops leadership skills, teamwork, self-awareness, and the ability to compromise- all of which add value to your employees and your organization.
By utilizing mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching we can learn to turn weaknesses into strengths. Owning your career is critical to our success. Youths need to realize their ambitions, weaknesses, and strengths for mentorship to be most effective. Learn how to promote yourself well and understand the gaps within your skills and learn how to correct them. It is also important to expose yourself to different experiences in order not to get too comfortable and to continue to grow. Mentoring partnerships can be life-changing if they are done properly and lead to lifelong success.
