In this final installment of our mentorship series, we return to the very beginning of the topic of mentorship to answer a very key question: what is the end goal of mentorship?

On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers successfully flew the first airplane for 12 seconds before bringing it in for a landing. This was the culmination of a great deal of work, and was only the beginning of the journey. After countless hours spent planning, calculating, building, and recovering from failed attempts, the Wright brothers permanently altered the world by creating aviation.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” 

This Chinese proverb perfectly encapsulates what it takes to be a successful mentor or mentee. You are human, and that means that you have a set of unavoidable limitations. To admit this fact is not to admit defeat. Rather, this humility is the only way to make any fruitful progress.

Winston Churchill famously said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Everyone, no matter their current lot in life, can and should benefit from the guidance of a mentor. Mentors can help us to grow, both in specific skills and as people in general. They have experienced the highs and lows of life. They know what it’s like both to succeed and to fail.

It’s easy for someone to tell you to get a mentor. It is another thing completely to go out to get one. Many in today’s world have forgotten the benefits of a personal one-on-one mentorship. Some choose to opt for more impersonal methods of self-development by watching videos, listening to podcasts, and reading blog posts and books.