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Why should someone mentor?
6

Why should someone mentor?

Why should someone mentor?

(OP)
It has been suggested in many posts that new and inexperienced people need to go find a mentor. That is true, and good advise. I agree with this whole heartily.

On the other foot, why should I take on a mentoring role? Especially if my company does not have a mentorship program, and my time and effort in mentoring will not be recognised?

Disclaimer: This is just a hypothetical question.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
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RE: Why should someone mentor?

5
Because you are a professional dedicated to preserving the future of your profession.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Probably for the same reason as someone took the time and effort to mentor you.
The world would be a much sadder place if everything were only done for personal gain, you could equally ask.
Why should I give up my seat for an elderly person?
Why should I hold a door open for a stranger?
Why should I help someone who is struggling with a heavy bag or has fallen over in the street?
Why should I let someone out of a side street who is stuck in heavy traffic?

The list goes on.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

There is personal gain as well.  
You could help someone improve to where they can help you more.
You may get recognition without a program in place.
You may get mentoring back from them on something you are not as good at.
Your company may get recognition for having quality people.

An again, the list goes on.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

I do it for the same reason that I participate here... there really is not that much difference...


"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
 

 
 

RE: Why should someone mentor?

One personal gain would be to keep things fresh in your own mind.

I liken it to being with my grandkids. I see and relearn everything afresh when seeing things through their eyes and from their perspective. It's enlightening, invigorating and humbling all at the same time.

cheers

RE: Why should someone mentor?

(OP)
How many of the above posters are currently mentoring someone or two?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Why should someone mentor?

You should if you feel it is the right thing to do.  You shouldn't if you feel it is wrong/waste or just don't care.  There are arguments for either side of the fence.  In the end it's up to you as a person and professional to decide what is best.

Another for the list:
Why should I give away that which I worked so hard to learn?  Learning is not only the destination but also the journey.  You don't get strong from a journey by riding.

Of course, there are different levels of mentoring that some may consider adequate.  Are you a mentor if you are available for help or guidance but you don't hold hands?  

What exactly is a mentor, and what separates a mentor from someone who can provide aid and is polite enough to do so?

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Mentoring someone might make you feel a bit better about yourself.  One thing that engineers seem to dig is feeling that they're recognized for their years of experience or their significant accomplishments.  Perhaps mentoring would be a way to receive such recognition (albeit from a small audience).  

Why would one student tutor another in college?  I know why I always organized small "study groups" before finals... Maybe you could exclusively mentor attractive singles of the opposite sex?  

RE: Why should someone mentor?

ivymike raises a good point.  I often helped fellow students in college.  I did it because it was an ego boost, but I quickly found out that it helped me to understand the material more thoroughly and be able to articulate my thoughts and thought processes regarding the material much better.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Ivymike brings up another good point... it might be a good way to pick up chicks!

But seriously, if the original poster truly has the attitude that there must be immediate recognition in order for them to be involved, then there is no reason to be involved. This individual will only serve to show the younger engineer how to be selfish and self-absorbed. Do us all a favor and stay away from it.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Sometimes, it is simply not the choice. Either you mentor or load up yourself with 10 peoples' work for life. Teaching and sharing makes life easy and fun.

Ciao.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Much as I like IvyMike's idea, I think Mrs ScottyUK might take a dim view of it. Particularly as they have all been male since I joined the company!

I've been in a technical mentoring position quite a lot over the past few years, although I've never officially been asked to do it. I have enjoyed it on the whole.  We do have a mentoring scheme for the more experienced engineers too who usually have a senior manager as mentor. I have the station manager as my mentor: I see him in passing once or twice a week, occasionally in meetings, and have yet to have my first proper session. It is not through lack of interest but through lack of time and an ever-growing backlog of work in the department and in the company as a whole. This mentoring scheme is aimed far less at technical mentoring than at development beyond a technical role and is something I need to pursue harder. Maybe part of my problem is that I actually like my technical role!
 

----------------------------------
  
Sometimes I wake up Grumpy.
Other times I just let her sleep!

RE: Why should someone mentor?

A pleasant, long-term unexpected consequence has been an ongoing relationship with former mentees. As a retiree from the company, I can informally drop by to see these folks who are now in various positions of authority. Instead of being just tolerated as a "codger", treatment is more along the lines of and "elder statesman" whose input & opinions are valued. Rather flattering.

www.SlideRuleEra.net idea

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Ashereng,

Mentoring is part of my job....So in answer to your question, I am.

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
 

 
 

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Last week I was chatting to a new graduate from a different department and he complained he had no work. Then I happened to be talking to other engineers from his department when their boss came along:
Boss: "Have any of you got some work you can give to (graduate)"
Engineers (both of them): "If I give him work, I'll have to check it thoroughly when its done so its quicker just to do it myself"

Later I heard of someone in my department who was swamped with too much to do and needing an extra pair of hands.

Result: my department has now successfully poached the new graduate because we'd rather take the time to teach him now and have less work to do ourselves in the future.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

My project engineer took the offer from Manufacturing to lead the ME group...a hole yet to be filled a year later.

He looked at me and apologized.  I told him that you don't plant and apple tree and expect it not to grow and bear fruit, even if it falls in someone else's yard.  

As an engineer, I bet you constantly explain things, this is called teaching.  When you are also adding more to it by coaching...it is called mentoring.  Formally or informally you will share your passion or you will change jobs for wont of interest.

On the flip side, the mentoring I gave allowed me to place a very talented and loyal person in to a key role in the company, fostering a very high level of cooperation between the Design and Manufacturing groups.  Mentoring is long-term planning at it's best and can only push you up.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

kchayfie:  classic bad management.  I had a summer job once (non-engineering) where I pretty much sat and did nothing because the idiot supervising me refused to teach me anything if teaching it involved more time than doing it herself--even if I'd then be able to do it 100 more times without her.  I entertained myself by getting assignments from other people, and then she complained that I was spending too much time away.  (Till I traded with some other kid who *wanted* to sit around doing nothing.)

More recently, I was cross-training in an office (engineering) where my manager wouldn't give me anything to do because as a trainee I'd take too long and it was all time-sensitive, so I sat around taking care of my old job instead of what I was supposed to be training to do.  I finally complained to the right person who offered me something to do, and when I took that offer back to my manager, he finally started asking around to find a project that they were willing to risk using me on.

Ridiculous.  I can only assume that a new hire would be in the same boat I was, and if you won't train your new hires, what's the point of hiring them?

Hg

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RE: Why should someone mentor?

Here is a slogan from a steam trap manufacturer:

"Knowledge not shared is energy wasted."

RE: Why should someone mentor?

The biggest reason for mentoring is to ensure that the person working under you learns how to do things properly.

It should eventually pay for itself in terms of a more competent engineer that can be trusted to carry out work unsupervised.

csd

RE: Why should someone mentor?

There's more to it than jsut "bad" management.  There's lots of insecurity as well.  We're all human, and worry about losing our jobs, etc.  Giving aid to a new hire is potentially loading the gun that lays you off to keep the cheaper, younger, you in the job you used to have.

However, the flip side is that you wind up over-worked and under-appreciated anyway, so lightening your load by have some young whiz kid who doesn't mind working overtime seems to be a good idea to me.

TTFN

FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Why should someone mentor?

One should mentor simply to "pay it back".  

I will freely admit that I was "as dumb as a bag of hammers" when I graduated engineering school 17 years ago.  I would not be where I am today without the patience and guidance that I received (and still receive) from older and typically wiser engineers.  

I feel that it is somewhat selfish to intentionally withold guidence or knowledge from a younger engineer if they truly want to learn something from you.  This depends somewhat on the company culture though.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

(OP)
Thanks everyone. All good points.

Just to keep the post on track - the OP asks what is in "it" for the mentor, and not for the company or the person being mentored.

Keep up the good comments.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Karma, do unto others, as you sow so shall you reap...

What you give so shall you receive, basically if I teach/mentor my interns well for the first couple of months then the ones that are good will more than repay it in the rest of their time here.  While mainly to the companies benefit it does benefit me in that I have someone to delegate to etc.

The problem is when they don't catch on quickly and here I do have sympathy for the 2 Engineers in kchayfie situation.  When you are under a lot of short term pressure it's sometimes difficult to keep your eye on the longer game.  The whole 'teach a man to fish...' philosophy is something I try to bear in mind but sometimes it's difficult, especially when many tasks aren't repetitious as such, why teach them something that's probably only a one off in the time they're here.

Our interns are here for 6 months and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating that you take the time and effort to get them up to speed and then they go.

Anyway, good timing on this thread as we just got 2 new interns, it hasn't started well.  We found out after it had been arranged but before they started that they are boyfriend & girlfriend.  At lunch someone saw her sitting on his lap in the lunch room or somewhere and they had to be given the talk!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Look around, effective society relies on altruism and volunteers. Mentoring is part of that sharing.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

i'm a young engineer and there's an APEGGA mentoring program that i'm a part of.  i think its a good idea.  i like interacting with people that have been where i'm trying to go and draw from their experiences.  its true that you learn better from your own mistakes but surely not all the time.  i think you should mentor someone because although you don't owe it to that person, you owe it to the profession and maintaining its standards...i intend to mentor someday...

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Only a fool learns from their own mistakes, a wise person learns from others mistakes.

Of course a complete fool never learns...

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Why should you mentor (in the extreme)?  

The life you save just might be your own.

Regards,

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Assuming the hypothetical mentor is not at the end of their career, it could easily pay back in networking.

SHORT TERM: If you mentor someone you will learn how good they are and what they can and can't do. You'll know if you want to snag them on your future projects or avoid them. And if you have work that you want to put on a junior person, they will be comfortable checking in with you first when they've got nothing to do.

Additionally, you two could become friends in the conventional sense of the word (Especially since it's not always a 62 year old mentoring a new graduate! You just need two people of similar ages but different experiences).

LONG TERM: If you and the mentee stay in the same company, a few years down the road the mentee may become a valuable ally, technically and/or politically. If the mentee goes to another company, you've got a foot in the door if you want to snoop around for an interview.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

I think, the most important question I always have to ask myself is: is it coaching or is it mentoring? Most of you Esteemed Ladies und Gentlemen are very eloquently touching on "teaching the right way and ensuring the "young ones" follow our ways".
I am not that youg anymore and continuously find myself in both roles: the mentor and the protegee. The process does not seem to stop for me. However, I must say, my mentoring experience from both perspectives does not really teach me any technical aspects of professionalism. It is more about soft skills and empowerment. Funny, again, in both roles it makes me feel good. And, I prefer informal mentoring athough APEGGA is doing a great job, too.

Mentoring is based on theory of abundance (S. Covey). There is enough of life experiences to share them with others.

Putting Human Factor Back in Engineering

RE: Why should someone mentor?

because someone took me in when i a green engineer.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Because someday I want to get promoted and have the mentee do my job.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

My first mentor was a great guy, tolerant, expert, and patient. We socialized after a while.

I have mentored many younger engineers. One in particular was an MME from U/IL. His masters work was in fracture mechanics, and he helped introduce it to the company. I wrote it into my product design, and it got the attention of the USAF. We help educate Wright Field, and numerous redesigns ensued mostly in the area of fracture tolerant wing structures.

So, you can learn a great deal from mentoring the right young engineer.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

Some companies pay the professional fees for people who mentor.  Mine (I think) does.

RE: Why should someone mentor?

You are already a mentor Ashereng. The replies that you have posted on this website are evidence of that. thumbsup2

Maui

RE: Why should someone mentor?

(OP)
Yes Maui, I guess I am.

The question was hypothetical. smile

Sometimes, I do things without really thinking about the reason(s).

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
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