If you’re running a thriving real estate team, chances are that you’ve asked yourself, “What’s the difference between a mentor and a leader?” and “Do I need to be a mentor to all of my employees?”
Mentorship isn’t easy. It takes time, patience, and perseverance to be a successful mentor. Although mentorship and leadership might feel like one in the same, mentorship is actually an additional challenge that many leaders feel driven to take on.
Not every leader is a mentor. But every mentor is most definitely a leader – even if they don’t know it yet.
Time Is Money
Take a look at your day-to-day schedule. Is it hectic? Do you have a lot of free time? Leadership is time consuming, and if you’re already struggling with time management, then you might not be in the best place to be a mentor.
A good mentor makes themselves and their ideas, experience, and wisdom available to their mentee – and not only in a professional sense. If your mentee needs a shoulder to cry on, it’s your responsibility to lend a listening ear and show genuine concern. Are you prepared to provide that level of support to someone else?
Who You Can’t Mentor
The purpose of being a mentor is to share expertise, experience, and knowledge with someone in your profession to help them advance their career. If you’re a real estate guru, that means that it might be difficult for you to mentor someone who’s on a different career path.
No, you won’t be a great mentor to a lawyer or lion tamer. You also might not be a suitable mentor for some of your employees.
Did you just hire a new sales agent? Great! They could learn from you and would likely benefit from your guidance. If you have the time to be a mentor, feel free to start building a relationship with your mentee.
But what if you hired a new real estate assistant (REA)? Could you mentor them, too? Well, you could try, but that might not be the best idea.
You hired your REA because their skills are different from yours, so they need someone who can nurture their unique abilities. Your REA would be better off with a mentorship from someone on their career path, who has achieved the goals that they also hope to achieve.
When considering the difference between a mentor and a leader, think of it this way: a leader is like a ship captain, whereas a mentor is like a personal tour guide. To be a mentor, you need to bring something additional to the table.
At Kammbium we offer two training programs – REA 101 and 90 Days to Thrive – which will connect your REA with a community of like-minded people and provide them with the guidance, support, and feedback they need.