FROM the inception of man in accordance with the Holy Books, Bible and Qur’an, the importance of mentorship has been exemplified. The disobedience of Adam and Eve can be argued to be as a result of their inability to learn from the experience of other persons that go against the law. Even in this modern age, humans tend to not obey laws or rules until they learn from the experience of others that are being punished for their disobedience. In essence, it has become evident that for the successful evolution of man, there is the dire need to learn from persons who have scaled through a part of life or persons who did not, but have realised what went wrong and can tutor others on the right path. Emotional intelligence, also known as the Emotional Quotient (EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Emotional Intelligence (EI) helps one build stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve one’s career and personal goals. It further helps one to connect with feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most and why.
According to Wikipedia, EI is defined as “the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions.” People with huge emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour, discern between different feelings, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments. Premised on the aforementioned, it is the definition of the writer of EI is the ability of an individual to connect their personal experiences with those of others in a bid to enhance thought and understanding of interpersonal dynamics. McKimm, Jollie and Hatter (2007, p. 2) make a historical link to the Middle Ages, when they explain that mentoring “became common practice in the time of the guilds and trade apprenticeships when young people, having acquired technical skills, often benefited from the patronage of more experienced and established.”
Whilst venturing into the thrust of this discussion, it is important to concisely define who a mentor and a mentee are. According to the New College Dictionary 1995, a mentor is “a wise and trusted teacher or counsellor”. A mentor is also a person who guides a less experienced person by building trust and modelling positive behaviours. In the 1970s, business people and researchers started to recognise the vital role mentors play in the development of corporation executives’ (Roche, 1979). From the 1970s onwards, mentoring has been increasingly used in the workplace – traditionally to help a junior member of staff to progress. Equally, a mentee is someone who has identified a specific personal or professional goal and who believes that the guidance, experience and help of a mentor – and being held accountable to such mentor – can help achieve his goal. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee; mentorship, is a process for the internal transmission of knowledge, psychological support which is relevant to the work, career or professional development of the mentee and is usually received from a mentor. Mentoring entails informal and formal communication during a sustained period, between the persons involved.
Mentorship is a key ingredient in the development of societies which has been exhibited from ancient days to this modern age towards positive youth outcomes. Even for a newborn, the parent stands as an authority with the duty of seeing to the growth and safety of such a child from childhood to adulthood. The lack of reliable figures to moral standards and accommodate children from less ideal circumstances remains a major factor contributing to juvenile delinquency in our society today. Governmental institutions saddled with the responsibility of the delinquency and correctional systems should thus make it an urgent call to include in such systems efficient mentorship channels; say persons who have walked the path of delinquency and crime, preferably ex-convicts who could relate widely with the system to aid the rehabilitation of child delinquents and convicted inmates towards getting on the right track to completely turn their lives around for the better.
During this course, certain measures must be ensured and maintained to ensure an efficient and effective purpose; hence, the play of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence has become important to this relationship due to its peculiarities. True mentorship comes with hurdles such as scolding; emotional intelligence here posits the best decision to make. Its importance also extends to the following: Over-tasking: EI is what would prevent one from complaining when the process gets beyond one’s ability (which is still part of growth), ensuring it is done with humility, and avoiding a strained relationship. It further prevents the master-slave mentality. The imperfection of mentors: This usually occurs in the aspect of knowledge and behaviour. EI ensures a mentee understands that it does not debar the fact that other substantial things can be learned from such mentor, irrespective. The art of engagement: Mentors are humans and there are certain moments that they do not wish to converse or be conversed with. EI inculcates the knowledge on how to read the atmosphere and do the most befitting things.
In conclusion, the importance of the mentor-mentee relationship cannot be overemphasised. Its contribution to the rapid individual growth of persons can as well extend to the development of society at large. Howbeit, emotional intelligence as art is equally exigent as a tool for the successful manifestation of this relationship.
- Bankole-Adams is a law student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.
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