This series of articles addresses coming alongside someone else and mentoring them, hence the dual footprints. Today’s topic discusses the time commitment involving both the mentor and mentee. Also, I am approaching the subject from the standpoint that both parties have already established the fact that they mesh and are a good fit for each other.
We hear and read quite a bit about equality. Whatever you may think about the subject, none of us can escape the fact that every day, each one of us is equally endowed with 24-hours of time. Regardless of your status in life, geographic location, occupation, etc., we get 24-hours. No more. No less.
In our society, complaints are plentiful about not having enough time in the day. People utter phrases such as, “I’m too busy…I just run from here to there…I wish there were more time in the day,” and the list goes on. If you desire to mentor someone, or you want to be mentored, then you must dismiss those phrases from your life.
Before proceeding any further, let’s look at the definition for mentor, which Dictionary.com describes as, “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.”1 Think about this, a counselor and a teacher invests their time into the lives of other people to help them grow and develop. That requires a commitment of time.
Commitment is defined as, “a pledge or promise; obligation.”2 Does the pledge, promise, or obligation fall only on the shoulders of the mentor? No. The mentee also has the responsibility to commit their time to the mentoring relationship.
Time is a precious commodity, and we cannot get it back. Therefore, when two people enter a mentoring relationship, there must be a commitment to set aside a pre-determined amount of time to meet, when to meet, where to meet, and an agreement to respect each other’s time.
Next week Part 3 will address the commitment to be transparent.
Are you concerned that you don’t have enough time to mentor someone? Through coaching, I can help you improve your skills and abilities as a mentor for you to be more effective and impactful in this important role. Contact me at [email protected] and visit my website at www.fireofficerleadershipacademy.com.
