A mentor acts as a counselor or guide.
Mentor is a term that comes from Mentor , Telemachus ' advisor in the Odyssey . This character from Greek mythology was the son of Alcimus and friend of Ulysses . By extension, the concept of mentor refers to someone who acts as a guide or advisor to another person.
For example: «The architect Bussenicky was my mentor within the company and who encouraged me to grow professionally» , «The Uruguayan poet, upon receiving the award, remembered his mentor with emotion» , «The boy has a lot of potential, but he needs a mentor to show you the way .
The relationship between the mentor and the mentee or disciple is known as mentoring . Through this link, the mentor shares his experience and knowledge with the other person so that he or she can develop successfully on a professional, personal, etc. level.
Types of mentors
In addition to all the above, we would have to point out that there are different types of mentors. Thus, for example, we find the following:
- Guru , who, originally, became a kind of spiritual teacher. However, today he is a person who is considered important in a specific field and who becomes the perfect advisor for other individuals. And they ask him for advice on issues relating to that area that he dominates.
- Wise old men , who took center stage in Antiquity and who, to a certain extent, remain in certain ethnic groups. Thus, for example, within the gypsy community there is the figure of the patriarch , who is the eldest person in charge of distributing justice, solving the community's problems and advising the rest of the gypsies who ask him for help.
- Teacher . It was in the Middle Ages that this character became important. He was usually an older person who was in charge of teaching the keys to a trade to a young man, who was called an apprentice.
The mentor carries out an informal teaching process so that his disciple or apprentice can develop.
The importance of communication
The key to mentoring is communication . It may be verbal communication, with multiple conversations; practical communication, where specific situations are taught; or a rather symbolic communication, in which example prevails. The important thing is that the apprentice manages to assimilate the concepts that the mentor is trying to transmit.
It is important to highlight that mentoring is associated with an informal teaching process, unlike the relationship established between a teacher and his students within the school framework. The mentor does not adhere to a study program nor qualifies the apprentice under evaluation criteria as occurs in the formal educational system.
Athletes , musicians and writers often recognize as mentors those who supported them at the beginning of their professional careers.
Other uses of the term mentor
We cannot forget either a historical figure named Mentor of Rhodes . In the 4th century BC. C. was when this Greek man lived, a mercenary who worked for figures of the stature of King Artaxerxes III or Artabazus II .
Within the literary universe of the magical youth saga "Harry Potter" , finally, there are creatures called dementors . These become dark beings who ensure that, wherever they go, there is no longer peace or joy.