The Importance of Mentorship

Throughout my career, I have observed a decline in mentorship within the community, specifically in the Graphic Design community. Perhaps it is just my local area, however, I observe people becoming increasingly isolated, coiling into themselves, unwilling to be vulnerable and share their experiences.

Image courtesy of public domain.

Fun fact: It is the consensus that the origins of mentorship can be traced back over 3,000 years ago to ancient Greece. The term “mentor” or Μέντωρ was first introduced to the world in a poem titled The Odyssey, written by Homer. Maybe you’ve read it? The poem tells the story of Odysseus and his son Telemachus. Telemachus is on a quest to find his father and bring him home, as he is away fighting in the Trojan War (Thomas, p.13). As Telemachus is without his father, the goddess Athena appears to

Telemachus in the form of a family friend named Mentor. Throughout the poem, Mentor guides and protects Telemachus. Fast forward to the seventeenth century, the term “mentor” made its first appearance in the English language thanks to French novelist Francois Fénelon, in his re-imagination of Homer’s story, Les Aventures de Télémaque (Foster, p. 1-2). Fast forward again to the twentieth century, the practice of mentoring began when the Oxford University Department of Education first introduced the internship in 1987 as part of The Internship Scheme to assist the development of teachers in training (Bryan, p. 47).

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a mentor as someone whose impact is long-lasting and changes the trajectory of someone’s life (Thomas, p. 14). Research shows that there are several definitions and interpretations of a mentor, including what makes a successful mentor, types of mentoring relationships, and formal versus informal mentoring, which we will look at more closely in future blog posts. Susan E. Metros, author of The Importance of Mentors, urges that one cannot simply read a book to become a good mentor as it is not a one-size-fits-all practice (Metros, 5.2). Haggard Dougherty noted that there are more than forty different definitions of the term “mentor” that have been used since 1980, most of which share the viewpoint that mentors are people who provide personal and career advice (Rajashi and Thomas, p.107). Hiram Foster, author of Functions of Mentoring as Christian Discipleship, describes a mentor as a role model, counselor, advisor, teacher, nurturer, friend, and sponsor (Foster, p. 2). 

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One cannot simply read a book to become a

good mentor as it is not a one-size fits-all practice.

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Mentoring is something most people talk about doing and needing. However, it is not obvious what being a mentor truly means or what the mentoring process truly entails. Is mentoring the same thing as training or advising? Does mentoring mean being a good role model? Are all of these labels for the same thing? Mentoring takes place in a wide range of professions. Sometimes, a mentor is defined as someone who has been trained in coaching, guiding, and advising those who are pursuing a wide range of goals and careers. However, a mentor is not someone who has “been there, done that.” Advising, by definition, is a more short-term process that focuses on giving the learner information and guidance. Mentoring, on the other hand, is a more intricate, long-term, one-on-one relationship that goes beyond just providing information to the mentee. Mentoring moves toward establishing a relationship that could potentially form into a colleague and lifelong source of guidance and support. If the average person is asked, “What is a mentor?” chances are they will respond with many different answers. However, if one cannot describe mentorship, measure it, or delineate it, how can it be found?

I have had the privilege of being mentored by a few particularly exceptional people throughout my life. These people hold a special place in my heart, and I can say with full confidence that I would not be the woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, sister, and designer I am today without their significant influence throughout my life. 

Mentorship is extremely important. Or it should be. To be mentored requires an enormous amount of vulnerability. One must be open to learning new things, new habits, and new thought processes. My mentors over the years have consisted of professors, bosses, my best friend’s mother, my pastor’s wife, my youth pastor, and my college and career group host parents. The Lord has placed each of these people in my life for them to teach me something and for me to learn from them – to learn something about life, design, relationships, expectations, etc. I have also had the great privilege of mentoring those younger than me – the act of passing down what I have learned from each of these people mentioned above. 

To be mentored, you must be open-minded, willing to receive feedback, and eager to apply it to your life. Likewise, to be a mentor, you must be willing to invest – invest your time, your effort, your knowledge, and your heart into someone else the Lord has placed in your path for a specific reason. Mentorship is typically for a season, a time of life that may last a few weeks or a few years. I am extraordinarily grateful that I still keep in touch with many of my mentors today. 

I would love to hear about your mentorship experience! Join me next month as we dig into what makes a successful mentor. 

If you have a topic you would like covered or have a question about a project you’re working on, drop me a line. I would love to chat!

Bryan, Hazel, and Chris Carpenter. “Mentoring: A  Practice Developed in Community?” Journal of  In-Service Education, vol. 34, no.1, 2008,  pp. 47-59. ERIC,  https://eric.ed.gov  /?id=EJ811514. PDF download. 

Foster, Hiram. Functions of Mentoring as Christian Discipleship. 2014. Ohio University,  Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center,  http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_  num=ouhonors1402510631.

Metros, Susan E. and Catherine Yang. “Chapter 5: The Importance of Mentors.” Cultivating  Careers: Professional Development for Campus IT, edited by Cynthia Golden, EDUCAUSE, 2006,  pp. 5.1-5.13.

Thomas, Terrice. Mentor Coaching: Effective Mentoring For The Personal And Professional Development of Young Adults. E-book ed., New Degree Press, 2021.