For those of us who have been on a mentoring journey either as a mentor or mentee, we know that while mentorship is full of challenges, it is an endeavor well worth your time. Mentoring helps us not only pass on wisdom to the next generation and learn at the feet of those who have gone before, but it allows us to direct our energy into the right pursuits, stay focused on the right things, and know how to go about achieving our biggest goals and dreams.
Mentorship is important. It’s also difficult — demanding vulnerable honesty, an investment of time and energy, and intentional guidance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has, in many ways, made things like mentorship much more difficult. Meeting face-to-face for a much-needed chat with your mentor or mentee has become that much harder due to social distancing guidelines and closed businesses.
Because of these challenges and emerging priorities during this crisis, mentorship runs the risk of falling by the wayside. But whether you’re mentoring or being mentored, now is the time to be more diligent than ever in maintaining that relationship. Here’s why.
Why Mentoring Matters in Times of Crisis
A Cure for Isolation
As Forbes points out, mentorship is a form of “emotional stewardship” that helps close the loneliness gapthat so many of us are feeling right now. Our mental and emotional health is primary in its impact on our career performance and long-term wealth. When the pandemic effectively shut many of us away from friends and family for a prolonged period, it only widened an already existing gap.
For us, mentorship can be a way to bridge that gap and maintain a meaningful, honest relationship that goes beyond the surface. These are the types of relationships we need, but often only receive from immediate family, if at all. A mentoring relationship can help fill this role and, thus, improve our health. Mentorship helps solidify and strengthen our sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth. During times such as these, that is more necessary than ever.
Find Direction
Let’s be honest: the coronavirus radically changed what we thought we would be doing and accomplishing in 2020. While some have spent their time learning new languages and getting a leg up on the competition, far more of us have struggled to adapt to working from home, managing our kids and their education, and handling the increased stress of a world full of fears and unknowns.
This is where mentorship shines. In a world that is confused and directionless, a mentoring relationship can lend purpose and direction. It can help validate our feelings and ideas, lend a sense of value to what we do, and allow us to hold on to or develop some kind of plan in the middle of the chaos.
A mentoring relationship can help you navigate life’s problems and challenges — even the new and unexpected ones.
Effective Mentorship During COVID-19
Of course, as beneficial as a mentorship can be in times such as these, they’re also difficult to maintain. A successful mentorship while socially distanced means:
Utilizing technology. Use new technology to stay connected. While it’s not the same as a face-to-face meeting, you can still dive deep and have meaningful interactions over Zoom, phone calls, and text messaging. Check in with your mentor/mentee frequently and see what it is they need and be honest about what you need from them.
Managing expectations. It’s not going to be ideal. It’s probably not going to be as regular or structured as you would like. We’re under a lot of emotional stress right now, and that impacts the efficacy of our relationships. Be okay with making necessary adjustments and not seeing immediate desired results. It’s no reason to throw in the towel — if anything, it demonstrates more strongly our need for one another and these valuable, critical relationships.
Going beyond business. For my context (and likely yours), your mentorship relationship is rooted in professional development and success. We run the risk of being too much about business in these relationships when what we need is a personal relationship. As we all deal with the fallout of coronavirus worries, really invest. Be empathetic. Listen. Allow yourself to have a relationship that goes beyond its original “purpose.” The more you invest in someone else personally and professionally, the easier — and more natural — it will be to continue that relationship with purpose and consistency.
How has a mentoring relationship made an impact on your life? Share your experience in the comments.