When you become a mentor, your mentoring relationship can improve your leadership skills and deepen your understanding of the Canadian business environment. While the primary goal of a mentorship program is to build the skills and capacity of the mentee, there are still many benefits for the mentor.
When you become a mentor for new immigrants you can expect to:
- Develop Leadership Skills: Being a good leader requires listening, empathy, coaching, and advising skills which can all be developed while being a mentor.
- Be Collaborative: You and your mentee will create goals through consensus and hold each other accountable for reaching those goals.
- Improve Intercultural Competency: Spending time with people who have an outside view of Canada will give you empathy for their experience and insight into the Canadian culture.
- Learn About Your Industry: Seeing your industry from the perspective of a newcomer to Canada will help you to see the challenges and strengths of your industry with a new perspective.
- Show Investment in Your Career: Being willing to be a mentor shows that you care about the wellbeing of your colleagues, your industry, and your company.
- A Reciprocal Return: While the mentee gains from your experience and cultural insight, you will expand your perspective through the mentoring experience.
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Mentoring in a program that focuses on new Canadians provides you with an opportunity to develop your “intercultural competency” or the ability to communicate and understand differences across cultures. This can help you with people from different regions, countries, or company cultures. Developing your intercultural competency develops your empathy and helps you work with or lead diverse teams. This makes you a better leadership candidate and helps you when you are looking for new professional opportunities.