How Mentoring Young People Makes You a Better Leader

The traditional notion of a mentor-mentee relationship is changing. Instead of mentorship being a one-way system where the more experienced person simply tells younger people what to do, it is now becoming a way current leaders can also learn from the young people they mentor.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Shapers Impact Report, young people are no longer seen just as consumers of the future but instead as future changemakers themselves. In fact, young people are even now making an impact. According to the report, hundreds of youth-led projects around the world are helping local communities solve problems in areas from mitigating climate change effects to development in education to harnessing the power of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

As a business leader and philanthropist myself, I have personally experienced the benefits of mentoring and learning from some of the world’s brightest students. For the past 30 years, I have had the opportunity to mentor scholars under the William S.D. Louey Educational Foundation, which I set up to give some of China’s brightest young minds access to world-class education in the UK.

Here are five reasons why I think mentoring bright young minds is invaluable for business leaders:

Related: I Mentor First-Time Entrepreneurs — These Are the 4 Unseen Benefits I Gained By Giving Back

1. You develop intergenerational awareness

With careers getting longer, we now have a workforce made up of five different generations: Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, baby boomers and traditionalists. Mentoring young people gives you the perfect opportunity to understand the needs and the values of various generations, which is important for business leaders who will be increasingly hiring younger and younger workers as time progresses.

Understanding what younger people want, especially within a business environment, will help you create a culture of respect and open communication between employees and leaders belonging to various generations. This way, employees will feel valued for being able to share ideas and perspectives regardless of their age, which will boost their productivity levels.

2. You are exposed to new ways of thinking

As a business leader, I am a firm proponent of innovative thinking in the workplace. The mentoring experience can give you completely new ways of thinking, often across different disciplines. These are highly valuable to keep your business relevant within a constantly changing environment.

For instance, when I was mentoring scholars, I gained insights into various technological fields that are changing the way we work, from engineering to nuclear power to biotechnology and mathematical modeling. All I needed to do was listen to my mentees talk about the subjects they were passionate about, and this opened up a whole new world for me and enriched my general knowledge.

Related: Making The Most Of Mentorship

3. It helps you become more empathetic

Helping a younger person achieve their goals can make you more empathetic as a person and a leader. This is because empathy is a key skill one develops as a mentor when trying to understand what a mentee needs for personal development and how they can meet them with their own skills and expertise.

A more empathetic leader is automatically more well-liked and trusted within an organization. They can also be more open and honest with their team members, which develops a workplace culture of trust and deep understanding.

4. It teaches you patience

Communicating with mentees from younger generations will no doubt have its challenges, and figuring out how to navigate these will help the mentor become more patient. This is because the point of mentorship is for the younger person to grow and develop at their own pace instead of being forced to do so within an unreasonable timeline. Moreover, mistakes are commonly seen as opportunities for mentees to learn from, and being a good mentor will require you to become more aware of this, which in turn makes you more calm and tolerant and act as a gentle guide.

Patience is an especially useful virtue when, as a leader, you face a moment of crisis, where you have to keep your composure and think of solutions to also help the rest of your team face difficulties. Patience is also the trait of a business leader who thinks of long-term solutions rather than quick fixes, which then ensures the longevity of the business and the team members you are relying upon.

5. You learn to trust others and delegate

Mentoring young people is a long-term, relationship-building exercise that relies on a high degree of trust and open communication. Mentoring young people can especially help mentors learn how to trust others in the business world. As a result, leaders who have significant experience mentoring younger generations will be naturally more inclined to help their teams develop their skills and potential. This will help leaders delegate responsibilities more effectively to avoid burnout and create a more positive work environment.

Related: 6 Things Great Mentors Do Differently

However, the most important thing to consider before you volunteer to mentor others is to understand that the reason why you are doing it is not simply to gain leadership skills from your mentee. Mentorship, at its core, is an altruistic action, and only by developing an authentic relationship (instead of a reciprocal one) with your mentee can you expect some of the beneficial outcomes I’ve listed in this article.

In any case, entering a mentorship relationship with an open mind is the best way to gain a truly fulfilling experience. I am still in touch with my mentees, who have now become my well-wishers and are now mentoring other young people as well. There are truly very few experiences in life like it, I can assure you that.