Imagine being a toddler. You would have to learn so much about the world. You would also have to figure out how to make contact with other unknown people for the first time in your life. Children have so much to figure out, but they possess this natural curiosity that leads them to explore. Children are not afraid of falling a hundred times, they cry it out and keep going.
Still, in the process of growing up, they need someone to show them how to get up faster, easier, how to avoid mistakes. They need someone to teach them games, so they could keep playing with friends. In the process of growing up, we need as much support as we can get.
We no longer play in kindergarten, but we do have clients, managers, colleagues, as well as new technologies, tasks, new roles, and deadlines. Being human means facing challenges. As we grow older, we become more skilled, but also our challenges become more complex.
I believe that constantly being faced with challenges leaves us all in permanent need of support and we always need as much support as we can get. What changes as we grow older is the type of support.
We all need our very own Mr Miyagi
As we enter a new workplace, we need someone to help us understand the culture and values of our new workplace. We need someone to give us direction where to look for information, how to approach the problem and give us feedback about what we are doing right and where there is room for improvement.
In a professional environment, these roles are referred to as mentor and mentee roles. The most typical relation is when a person in a junior position is a mentee and has a mentor, that is the more experienced colleague.
Still, this is not the only case. New technologies are being developed on a daily basis and with them, roles are changing as well. One person, no matter how experienced, cannot know it all, so mentor roles are not defined by age or position.
It can often happen that younger colleagues are mentors of older colleagues when it comes to new technologies. Besides, a lot of people decide to change their career after a while. Having a mentor can make the career switch much easier.
When it comes to needing support, another thing that changes with growing up is our personal responsibility in obtaining support. We are all responsible for ourselves, our development and well-being. We cannot expect to get help if we do not ask for it and getting answers if we do not ask questions.
Mentorship at Atlantbh
In Atlantbh, mentors have a really important role. On the first day of work, each new employee is assigned a mentor that helps them better integrate into the new environment.
What is important to us is that these roles exist beyond formal mentor roles. The essence of the mentor and mentee relationship is trust and communication. In Atlantbh, each Atlanter knows that he or she is responsible for their own knowledge and communication, so every Atlanter asks questions, and in return, each Atlanter is ready to help others and share his/her knowledge. Click here for Part 2.
All information in this specific blog represents the personal opinion of Mirna Dajanovic and does not necessarily reflect that of Atlantbh.