Why every leader needs a mentor

Why every leader needs a mentor – and why more should become one

Mentoring is something most of us have heard of, but how many of us could actually explain what a good mentoring relationship looks like or why we might need one? 

When people think of mentoring, they often picture a senior leader passing down their wisdom to a junior earlier in their career. But mentoring has changed. As careers become less linear and leadership challenges more complex, the traditional mentor-mentee model has evolved. A mentor doesn't need to be a ‘wise old sage,’ and mentoring isn’t just something you turn to at the start of your career. 

Mentoring can give leaders at any stage the opportunity to ask questions, gain new perspectives, and learn from someone who has faced similar experiences. 

And for the mentor, the relationship can be equally rewarding. Sharing experience, listening to a different viewpoint, and helping another person navigate their leadership journey can challenge and develop your own thinking too.

What can a mentor offer? 

A mentor can offer invaluable support and industry insight, asking questions and providing advice to help navigate career decisions, build leadership skills, and boost confidence. 

A good mentoring relationship can provide:

• A different perspective on familiar problems – when you're close to a situation, it can be difficult to see beyond your own assumptions. A mentor who isn't directly involved can ask the questions others might not, highlight what you're overlooking, and help you consider an alternative approach.

• The benefit of experience – without having to make every mistake yourself, a mentor can share what they learned from difficult decisions, setbacks and turning points in their own career. That doesn't mean their experience provides a blueprint for yours, but it can help you anticipate challenges and make more informed choices.

• A space to test your thinking – leadership can leave little time to stop and think. Having a regular conversation with someone outside your immediate working environment creates space to explore an idea before you act on it, talk through a decision or admit that you're not sure what to do next.

• Constructive challenge – good mentoring isn't about reassurance alone. Sometimes the most useful thing a mentor can do is question an idea, offer a perspective you hadn't considered or ask why you've chosen a particular course of action. Being challenged by someone you trust can sharpen your thinking.

• A connection beyond your immediate role – leadership can become increasingly isolating as responsibility grows. A mentor can provide an independent relationship where you can be open about the challenges you're facing, while also giving you access to experiences, networks and knowledge beyond your own organisation or profession.

The best mentoring relationships don't make you dependent on someone else's experience. They help you make better use of your own.

Why become a mentor? 

There is another side to mentoring that is sometimes overlooked. We tend to think about what the mentee gains, but sharing your experience can change the way you think about your own leadership too.

You don't need to have reached the end of your leadership journey to become a mentor. In fact, you may be a better mentor because you are still learning yourself.

• You have to articulate what you actually believe – explaining why you made a decision or handled a situation in a particular way can expose thinking you hadn’t previously considered.

• Someone else's question can reveal something about your own leadership – mentees bring different experiences and expectations. Their perspective can challenge established ways of thinking and make you reconsider what you might take for granted.

• You can turn experience into something useful – experience has value, but only if we learn from it and share it. Mentoring gives leaders a way to pass on lessons without simply telling someone else to follow the same path.

• It keeps you connected to the reality of leadership at different stages – mentoring someone earlier in their career can give experienced leaders a better understanding of the challenges, expectations and perspectives of people coming through the organisation now.

• It is an opportunity to contribute to someone else's leadership journey – sometimes the most rewarding part of being a leader isn't what you achieve yourself, but what you help other people become capable of doing.

The role of a mentor is not to tell someone what they should do. It is to share what they have learned, ask useful questions and create the space for someone else to work out what is right for them.

Why should organisations invest in mentoring?

The value of mentoring also extends beyond the mentor and mentee. Organisations increasingly look to develop and retain the talent they already have, and mentoring can be an effective part of that approach.

Research suggests that employees with mentors are twice as likely to be engaged at work, and five times more likely to be promoted. 

A strong mentoring culture can help organisations:

• Develop and retain existing talent – giving people a meaningful investment in their development and helping them see opportunities to grow within the organisation.

• Build confident future leaders – giving emerging leaders access to experience and challenge that complements formal leadership development and helps them prepare for greater responsibility.

• Bring fresh perspectives into leadership development – connecting people with mentors who can offer an independent perspective, challenge established thinking and share experiences beyond their immediate working environment.

• Make leadership development continuous – giving people an opportunity to reflect, test their thinking and learn from real leadership challenges, rather than treating development as something that happens only on a course.

How do you find the right mentor?

Finding a mentor doesn't necessarily mean looking for the most senior person you can find.

Start by identifying what you want help with. Are you preparing for a leadership role, working through a difficult decision, or looking to develop a particular skill? Being clear about your goals will help you find someone whose experience is relevant to what you want to learn.

Think about people who have experience in that area. They might be a colleague, a former manager, someone in your professional network or a leader working in a different organisation. Your mentor doesn't need to have followed the same career path as you - sometimes, a different background will offer a different angle or viewpoint and be exactly what you need. 

Once you have someone in mind, reach out. Explain why you've approached them, what you'd value learning from their experience and suggest an initial conversation to see whether it's a good fit. You don't need to have every detail worked out, but agree on what you'd like to get from the relationship, how often you'll meet and what each of you can contribute.

If you're not sure where to start, professional networks and leadership communities can help you connect with people whose experience you might not otherwise encounter. The Institute of Leadership brings together people at different stages of their leadership journeys, creating opportunities to learn from others, share experience and continue developing as a leader through membership and events. 

Leadership development has no finish line

We often talk about leadership development as something we need to do to become a leader – as though there is a point at which we have learned enough.

In reality, leadership keeps changing. New roles bring new challenges. Different people require different approaches. The decisions that felt difficult five years ago may look very different now.

That is why mentoring can be valuable at every stage of a leadership journey.

Sometimes we need someone further ahead to help us see what might be possible. Sometimes we need someone who has been through something similar. And sometimes, by helping someone else navigate their own challenges, we understand our own leadership a little better.

Mentoring isn't about having all the answers. It's about being willing to learn, share and keep developing – whatever stage of your career you're at

Why not join the IoL community today and start your mentoring journey? Whether you’re an organisation looking to strengthen your culture, a leader looking to share your experience, or an ambitious professional ready to learn from others, becoming an IoL member offers opportunities to connect, exchange perspectives and grow through mentoring.