Introduction
Aspiring leaders require role models and guidance, and this is all the more true in the ever-changing world of EMS. An increasing number of our seasoned managers are opting to work outside the field in other related areas, such as public health or public safety, or they’re leaving the industry altogether to pursue other goals.
At some point during your career, you may have considered mentoring a newly hired or promoted EMS supervisor or manager but dismissed the idea, thinking it wouldn’t be worth your time and energy. It may be time to rethink your decision. Being a mentor is more important than ever before, and you may get more out of the relationship than you think.
What Is a Mentor?
A mentor affects the professional life of a protégé by fostering insight, identifying needed knowledge and expanding growth opportunities. This guidance should supplement and complement the coaching an individual should already be receiving from their direct supervisor. Although the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide,” traditionally the mentoring relationship consists of a more experienced person providing guidance and advice to an associate with less experience. The associate is looking to move up the career ladder, usually by learning from someone who is successful and well respected.
Why Become a Mentor?
Mentoring gives you the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a promising protégé’s personal and professional growth by sharing the knowledge you’ve accumulated through your years of experience. Although the primary intent of your mentoring role is to challenge the protégé to think in new and different ways, the protégé is not the only one who gains from the arrangement. As a mentor, there are various ways you can benefit. Mentoring allows you to:
Enhance your skills. The experience you gain by mentoring can facilitate your own professional growth, making you more of an asset to your EMS agency. Mentoring allows you to strengthen your coaching and leadership skills by working with individuals from different backgrounds and with different personality types. Example: As a mentor, you can help bridge the gap between generations that have varying workplace values and styles, such as baby boomers and generations X and Y. Your ability to manage people different from yourself is a valuable commodity, especially as the workplace continues to grow and diversify.
Improve your performance. You can improve your own performance by setting a good example for your protégé. Knowing that you’re responsible for providing appropriate and accurate guidance to them will motivate you to work harder. Further, it can give you a fresh perspective on your performance.
Develop and retain your organization’s talent. Your role as a mentor contributes to the success of your entire organization. As an EMS supervisor, manager or director, you know the importance of developing and retaining good employees. By priming promising employees to become top-performing managers and providing them with the challenges, support and commitment necessary to succeed at your agency, your mentoring efforts effectively address succession planning and retention. On a different note, establishing a mentoring program assists with identification and development of internal talent. It also provides upper-level management the option of promoting from within.
Create a legacy. By becoming a mentor, you create a legacy that has a lasting impact on your protégé and the field of EMS. Not only will you gain the satisfaction of helping to develop future management talent, the knowledge you foster in your protégé can inspire new ideas for generations to come. Through mentoring, you can help further your organization’s legacy by passing on its values and mission to your protégé.
What It Takes
Being a mentor requires interest, commitment and confidence in your own abilities. It also requires you to be sincerely interested in someone else’s growth. You won’t win any awards, but you will have the satisfaction of having done an important job.
Can one element make or break the mentoring relationship? The reality is that each relationship will be influenced by a variety of factors. Although one mentor relationship may progress smoothly, another may take more time to develop. If you find that the relationship isn’t going as planned, make changes. Remember that the underlying goal is to create an opportunity for open dialogue and feedback between an experienced operator and an underling looking for guidance and wisdom.
Although mentoring can be a truly rewarding experience, becoming a mentor is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The benefits to you, your EMS agency and the overall EMS profession, however, can be well worth your effort.
