by Ren La Porte
An opportunity exists for you, when you join Toastmasters, to have a mentor. In 2022, 84% of fortune 500 companies use the mentoring/protégé concept as a method of internal growth. In 2023, it was 92% (Panagiotakopoulos, 2022). Why is mentorship incredibly popular?
FOR CAREER SUCCESS
As we have moved into the digital age, mentoring has started to use software as a structure. In 2022, ‘the global mentoring software market size was estimated at $449.81 million in 2021 (that’s global) and is expected to reach $1.3bn in 2027’ (Panagiotakopoulos, 2022).
What is driving growth? Well it seems that in 2020, 79% of millennials see mentoring as crucial to their career success. In their plight for success, they will jobhop to find better opportunities. In the interest of financial loss, companies, have introduced mentorship programs to reduce that turnover. The add-on is that it also promotes growth and enables adjustment into the company (Griffin, 2020).
WHAT IS A MENTOR?
‘A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained.’
Quote by Shawn Hitchcock
The term protégé has been used in association with mentorship. This is a french word. The dictionary definition is ‘a person given helpful protection, support or favour by another’. While all Toastmasters commit to providing a positive and supportive learning experience (Toastmasters International 2024), the mentor offers to assist the protégé on a more detailed level. Many would say that mentorship and coaching are the same thing. This, however, is not true. There is a marked difference between mentoring and coaching. Primarily, mentors:
- Focus on multiple long-term goals rather than a particular event.
- Look at fulfilling a support role where the protégé meets their own goals.
- Assist the growth of a developmental relationship specific to that individual.
- Allows tasks and steps to be determined by the protégé.
- Allows the protégé to design actions for the future.
- Will offer general, non-judgmental feedback and support.
‘The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves’.
Quote by Steven Speilberg
IS MENTORING RIGHT FOR YOU?
Toastmasters values and recommends the mentor/protégé relationship; it is a means of ensuring professionalism and success for the individual and the group. Toastmasters has identified the attitudes and skills of successful protégés as having the following attributes:
- A person responsible and accountable for their own self-growth and development.
- A protégé will seek information to meet goals and overcome challenges. Another term for this is called intrinsic motivation.
- A protégé is adaptable and has a strong desire to learn.
- A protégé is open to receiving feedback.
- A protégé is willing to consider new suggestions and ideas.
- A protégé is someone who is respectful of the mentor’s time and boundaries (a boundary is defined as the line of respect between two people).
The impact and importance of having a mentor is that you are empowered with the reassurance that there is advice, support, suggestions, ideas, feedback and validation available to you on your journey. In summary, mentorship paves the way for self-confidence and achieving great results as a speaker.
If you are looking to be mentored for success on your self-development journey, talk to a Toastmaster about your options!
REFERENCES
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- Griffin, J. (2020, Jan 23). How To Find A Great Mentor. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgriffin/2020/01/23/how-to-find-a-great-mentor/
- Panagiotakopoulos, F. (2022, July 24). Mentoring Software: Roundup and Review of the Most Popular Providers. https://www.growthmentor.com/blog/mentoring-software/
- Toastmasters International. (2024). Our Mission. https://www.toastmasters.org/about/our-mission#:~:text=We%20provide%20a%20supportive%20and,self%2Dconfidence%20and%20personal%20growth.
Interesting Read – Reward & Recognition
