"Mentoring is a mutual relationship with an intentional agenda designed to convey specific skills along with life wisdom from one individual to another."
Nathan Nagel, recruitment consultant

It's often thought that all of the benefits of mentoring accrue to the people who are mentored. Not so. If you need to convince someone to mentor you, or you're thinking of being a mentor and are wondering what's in it for you, here are your answers. What follows are ten great benefits of being a mentor:

1. Personal Satisfaction. There is a tremendous personal satisfaction from helping  others. Benefits can often be intangible - but it's a great way to make a difference.
2. Personal Validation. Mentoring is good for the ego. Everyone has one, and it's great to be sought after for advice, opinion and encouragement.
3. Increased Network. You can often access new networks with influential people that can enhance your own career and bring you choice opportunities.
4. Greater Influence. Mentoring puts you in a powerful position where you can set an excellent example. This also raises your everyday standard and you will benefit in terms of increased professionalism at work and the commensurate rewards it brings.
5. Interesting Challenge. As a mentor, you should be challenged and sharpened by good questions from your protégé (or mentee). This benefits you as it increases your capacity to handle tough, stimulating situations.
6. Deeper Learning. Through mentoring others you reinforce to yourself everything you have learned.
7. Improved Listening. Listening skills can be improved dramatically through mentoring because listening is a core part of any successful programme. If you improve your listening skills this will benefit you in terms of networking capacity and the rewards networking brings.
8. More Feedback. By mentoring you will receive constructive feedback on your mentoring capabilities and this will directly benefit you as you will learn and grow as a mentor.
9. Make a Contribution. By mentoring you will be part of the great life circle of learning and passing on knowledge and you will inevitably create a positive butterfly effect which will benefit the human race.
10. Stretches You. A benefit of mentoring an inquisitive, intelligent protégé/mentee is that your business skills will be stretched and a mind once expanded never regains its original dimension.

Life isn't all about you. Winston Churchill once said... "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
So go out there and start making a difference in someone else's life!