Mentorship is a beneficial relationship between two parties, the mentor and proteges, in which the mentor provides valuable advice, aid, and guidance to the protege. Mentors can be found in nearly every aspect of life. They are those who give everything they can to the next generation, including guidance, advice, and support. Unfortunately, mentorship can be inaccessible, especially to young Black and Latinx professionals entering the job market.
Luckily, mentors aren’t limited to working with a single protege.
Group mentorship, when a single mentor works with a group of proteges, offers all the benefits of traditional mentorship and then some. It leverages the value of collaboration in a way that optimizes the impact of mentorship on all involved. That said, if you’re not sure whether group mentorship is right for you, it’s important to make an informed decision. We’ve got you covered!
Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits of group mentorship and what it can do for you.
Benefits of Group Mentorship
Group mentorship looks great on paper, but many find it difficult to differentiate the key benefits of group mentorship over traditional mentorship. That said, it’s vital to understand the benefits of group mentorship, especially if you’re considering joining a mentorship program. Here are the top five benefits of group mentorship.
- Mentorship Becomes More Accessible
Mentorship is focused on providing aid, knowledge, and guidance to proteges. When most people think of mentorship, they envision a formal one-on-one in-person setup. However, this image speaks to the inaccessibility of traditional mentorship, especially amid a pandemic.
Group mentorship helps overcome the primary flaw of traditional mentorship; there are more people in need of mentorship than available mentors. One mentor can greatly extend their reach by mentoring multiple individuals at once within a group mentorship. In short, mentorship becomes more available, accessible, and advantageous within a group mentorship setting.
- Cultivate Relationships Beyond Traditional Barriers
Regardless of the industry, networking is one of the key foundations of a successful career. Building and maintaining relationships with others that can help to promote and advance your career is one of the primary goals of mentorship. However, many students and young professionals lack either the opportunities or skills to network.
Group mentorship extends the network of proteges right off the bat. Not only are proteges cultivating a beneficial relationship with their mentor, but they are also fostering a network of peers within their group. Within a group mentorship program, proteges can provide other group members with recommendations and referrals, give a heads up about job opportunities, and cultivate genuine friendships.
- Broad Range of Ideas, Opinions, and Experiences
“I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.” – Malcolm X
Group mentorship fosters the ideal of the perpetual student. Each member of a group mentorship has something valuable to offer their peers and mentor alike. It can be difficult for individuals to learn the essential skill of considering other perspectives. Belonging to a group of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds can foster an environment where each person can learn from another and develop empathy.
- Enhance the Confidence of proteges
One of the crucial benefits of group mentorship is the confidence boost proteges experience. Mentors and proteges can provide members of the group with guidance while navigating the complicated process of landing, maintaining, or advancing within a job.
This is especially beneficial for those underrepresented young professionals who lack confidence due to a network gap and a lack of guidance. Generally, these early career professionals and students are on their own when it comes to starting or advancing their careers. Luckily, it’s possible to find support, guidance, and useful advice in a group mentorship program with the help of peers and mentors.
More importantly, group mentorship enables proteges to have a safe environment where they can share their dreams, goals, and concerns with one another, fostering a sense of belonging and security.
- Leverage the Experiences of Peers
Working within a group of peers, proteges can benefit from firsthand anecdotes about industry happenings. Whether it’s a common interview question or a new selling approach, there’s always more to learn. Mentoring groups can act as a news source for proteges and help them stay in the game by learning from their peers’ experiences.
Moreover, proteges belonging to a group mentoring group can utilize their peers to receive feedback. A protege can only bounce ideas off of the mentor in a traditional mentoring session. A group mentoring session allows proteges to ask for feedback within their group, including the mentor.
Key Takeaways
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” – Michael Jordan
Group mentorship takes advantage of the power of teamwork to empower proteges on their way to success. It encourages proteges to make connections with their peers and ensures that proteges have an environment where they can find support, advice, knowledge, and friendship. In short, group mentorship can enable those who may not have access to the same network and opportunities as their peers, specifically underrepresented students, and young professionals.
Mentor Spaces is here to bridge the gap.
Mentor Spaces is a virtual mentorship platform geared towards supporting enhanced diversity and inclusion in business by offering underrepresented students and early career professionals valuable group mentorship opportunities. The hallmark of our approach is “few to many” – where a panel of mentors, say 5, are mentoring 50 -75 individuals. This, combined with Q&A format reduces the load on a single mentor yet maximizes value.By addressing the significant opportunity gap that underrepresented youth face during their careers and providing direct access to an experienced mentor, Mentor Spaces’ platform is dedicated to actualizing change and increased diversity in business.
