Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding parts of your career. It allows you to give back, guide the next generation, and reflect on your own journey. But we also know that in a fast-paced industry like property, where stress and long hours are common, even the most well-meaning mentors can feel stretched too thin.
At Agents Together, we believe mentoring should be as sustainable and fulfilling as it is impactful. Here’s a bit of advice to help you support others without sacrificing your own wellbeing because your growth matters too.
Recognise Your Limits Before You Reach Them
Burnout rarely announces itself. It builds quietly, until you find yourself rescheduling sessions, feeling drained, or starting to resent the time commitment. That’s not fair on you or your mentee.
Check in with yourself regularly:
- Are you mentally present when mentoring, or distracted?
- Do you feel energised afterwards, or depleted?
- Are you overcommitting out of guilt or habit?
These aren’t red flags. They’re signs to pause, reflect and adjust.
Choose the Right Mentoring Model for Your Life
Mentoring doesn’t have to mean monthly Zoom calls or in-depth sessions. It can be as flexible as your schedule allows. Drop-in sessions can provide quick guidance in one-off 30-minute conversations. Goal-specific mentoring lets you support someone during a job change or new role. Check-in mentoring involves a set number of sessions with a chance to reassess afterwards.
Structured, time-bound mentoring doesn’t take away from the impact you’re making. In fact, they help mentees focus their questions and goals more effectively.
Establish Boundaries from the Start
Great mentoring isn’t about being endlessly available. It’s about being reliable within agreed terms. Start each mentoring relationship with an agreed frequency and format for communication, such as calls, messages, or emails. Define boundaries around response times and choose preferred platforms for contact. When both sides understand the focus and format, the mentor-mentee relationship becomes more productive and manageable.
Use Your Mentoring Time Wisely
A short session can be powerful if it’s focused. Encourage your mentee to come prepared with questions or scenarios. A simple structure can make each conversation more effective:
- Start with a check-in: How are they? What’s changed?
- Reflect on progress: What’s gone well since last time?
- Focus on current needs: What do they need support with today?
- End with action: What’s one thing they’ll take forward?
This helps keeps things clear and ensures your time is used well.
Resist the Urge to Fix Everything
The best mentors don’t offer all the answers. They ask better questions. Trying to solve every issue can be emotionally exhausting as it places pressure on you and removes the opportunity to grow from your mentee. Instead, focus on active listening and reflect questions back. Share your experiences rather than solutions and offer guidance, without specifically saying what your mentee should do. This encourages mentees to think critically and grow independently.
Take Breaks When You Need to
Even the most committed mentors need downtime, especially when life gets busy. If you feel your plate is full, it’s okay to pause mentoring. Let your mentee know in advance, offer a clear timeline if possible, and support them in seeking additional guidance if needed. Rest isn’t a weakness. It’s maintenance.
Connect with Other Mentors
You’re not alone in wanting to do this well. At Agents Together, we encourage mentors to connect, share tips, and support one another. You’ll realise that your challenges are shared by others, and you might pick up new approaches to managing your time and expectations. Peer support helps prevent isolation and reinforces that boundaries are a necessity.
Keep Your Own Development in View
Mentoring isn’t just something you give. It’s something that shapes you. Notice what you’re learning through these conversations. Are you developing your listening or coaching skills? Seeing familiar industry challenges from new angles? Discovering gaps in your own knowledge that you want to explore? When you grow too, mentoring feels more balanced and reciprocal.
Understand the Emotional Load of Support
Sometimes, mentees will share difficult stories: about burnout, toxic workplaces, or mental health struggles. As a mentor, you’re not a therapist, and shouldn’t try to be.
Instead:
- Listen with compassion
- Acknowledge their experience
- Signpost to professional resources where appropriate
Holding space is valuable, but protecting your own wellbeing is essential.
Revisit Your Why
Why did you choose to mentor? Was it to give back? Build your legacy? Stay connected to the next generation? Whatever the reason, reconnecting to your ‘why’ can make it easier to step back when you need to and return when you’re ready.
Mentorship isn’t about always being available. It’s about being intentional, reflective, and human.
Sustainable Mentoring is Smart Mentoring
There’s no perfect way to mentor. Some mentees will need more energy. Some seasons of life will be busier. What matters is consistency, flexibility, and care, for others and yourself.
When you protect your wellbeing, you model what healthy success looks like. And that may be your most powerful lesson yet.
Mentoring with Agents Together
If you’re looking to mentor within a framework that supports your boundaries, encourages flexible formats, and connects you to like-minded professionals, Agents Together is here for you.
With over 1,400 mentorships facilitated, our approach is rooted in practical support, mutual respect, and long-term impact. Whether you can give 30 minutes or three months, you’ll be matched with a mentee who values your time and insight.