Why did I become a mentor?
– I was first offered to become a mentor more than 2 years ago, that is, already during the quarantine. First of all, I was interested in validating my knowledge, to see if it is possible to apply it in other areas – in the Ukrainian startup environment. Secondly, during the quarantine, I began to lack communication in the social circle, there were no activities and no exchange of ideas. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to “connect” with people outside of work.
Now I will continue my mentoring work because I enjoy sharing knowledge that can be useful to someone. It is a very cool feeling when people leave, even after a short conversation, already inspired. I share my experience, and practical advice and thereby give people an extra push. I want to make my contribution, I like the English expression “giving back to society”. This social mission drives me.
I feel like I’m growing as a mentor, meaning I can already see what gaps or questions the team will have depending on their level of training. Now I can classify them according to certain criteria and therefore I can help faster, predict the request.
I mainly work with students, but I have had experience mentoring older teams, which is also very interesting. It should be understood here that students are more flexible and it is easier to reach them because they are more open to new things. In older people, the food muscle works better, people have more experience, ups, and downs, and they rely on them. For me, it’s like a challenge, because I should be even more prepared.
When I remember my path and the experience gained by my own stuffed ghouls, I want to help someone avoid this.
For me, mentoring is a mutual exchange of energy, a great return with an immediate result. It’s nice to see the emotions and the fact that you accurately noticed, helped, and inspired. When I see that it helps teams and they apply my advice – it’s just a wow effect.