When young, I made mistakes, growing older, I made even more but I haven't changed my decision to learn from them. Both professionally and personally I have been flawed throughout the years, but always maintained a willingness to learn from those experiences, and willingness to change from them. However, even when I felt strong hatred towards some of those around me, their unusual methods of mentorship and hard lessons are what continues to shape me into a better person.
Deciding to mentor those just entering into photography has forced me to climb out of my comfort zone. Those I work with count on me at the end of the day to display, share, and demonstrate the words I speak. I love Teaching, but not from a book. I like the kind of teaching where attitudes and egos get put to the side and mistakes and experience strengthen a person's ability.
In photography, egos are everywhere. Towards you, your equipment choice, and the images you take. But as long as you, and most importantly your client like the result, and you continue to grow in knowledge and customers, you are succeeding.
When I mentor someone, it's a chance to pass just a few of my mistakes along. No, not my wins, my mistakes. Some to ensure they never have to learn the hard way, and others to challenge them to look for alternative solutions they will apply down the road. It's not about handing the mentee all the answers, to me it's about giving someone the opportunity to get what they need in a way for success to occur in their own style.
Sharing fundamentals early in a person's career sets a foundation, one they are forever able to reflect on. To me, it's the ability to influence an industry to change. To open it up to learning and passing from one generation to another. It's also a lot of fun. A mentor should learn almost as much from the process of having a mentee as they are teaching. It will also get you to think out of the box, given your own ability to listen, you might even start to see things you hadn't before. And of course it can help you feel what your own clients with posing and cues strengthen your ability to connect in the front of the lens.