While considering whether to take on mentoring at work, I’ll record what I researched and thought about regarding mentoring systems.

First, about the word “mentor.”

A mentor means a work (or life) guide or advisor. A mentoring system is a system in companies where dedicated personnel are assigned to provide mental support to new employees, based on Japan's OJT system. Mentors provide guidance while receiving consultations about various life concerns including career development.

• Source: メンター(めんたー)とは - コトバンク

Next, I searched online and read several articles about mentoring.

• 新入社員が来てメンターになれって言われたけど、どうすればいいのかという対話テクニック - Qiita
• "居心地が悪い"くらいの優秀な人をメンターにせよ--人生の成功者になるためのルール - ログミー
• メンターに「学ぶことがあった」先輩は73％！もらいたいアドバイスとは？ - リクナビNEXTジャーナル

What is a mentor?

A mentor is someone with experience in a specific field who acts as a “caring older brother/sister,” providing guidance on careers, work methods, training, coaching, etc. The target person is called a mentee. Therefore, the purpose is to remove confusion from the target person, help them grow and become independent. Also, experiencing mentoring is very useful as a stepping stone to leadership roles and support for larger numbers of people.

The important point here is “Do you want to help the mentee grow?” I think.

If you have no interest in the target mentee’s growth, you won’t be motivated about mentoring duties, so I think it shouldn’t be undertaken for both parties’ sake.

Here I'd like to talk about what you can specifically do regarding mentoring.

Rule #1 is the 33% rule. 33% of the people around you are at a lower level than you. You can become their mentor. By helping them, you feel good about doing good. It’s reassuring to have people at a lower level than you. And another 33% of people are at the same level as you. These people become your friends and companions. And the final 33% are people whose existence many forget. They are 10, 20 years ahead of you. They make you feel a bit uncomfortable and unsettled when you’re with them, but this is what you need.

Remember, a common mistake is choosing someone only slightly better than you as a mentor. You shouldn’t choose someone who understands things only as much as you do when you don’t understand things well yourself. This is called the 10X rule - you should choose someone 10 times better than you as a mentor. If you want to build a million-dollar company, get someone who built a 10-million-dollar company to be your mentor. Don’t be afraid to approach incredibly successful people. They’re all wonderful people when you meet them directly.

“You should choose someone 10 times better than you as a mentor,” so if that’s not the case, I think the effect for the mentee would be small.

If I were in the mentee position, I’d think “Having someone just a bit higher level wouldn’t change anything.”

Summary

I’ve never been in either mentor or mentee positions, but I think in either case, good results won’t come unless the person recognizes “there’s a need for a mentoring system.”

That’s all from the Gemba.