During my professional life, I enjoyed the council of many of my friends and peers. Many of these were instructive and helpful. Three stood out because they helped me grow over a long time and made me grow in the roles I never had before. These people inspired me, to think about the role of mentorship and how we should guide others to success.
Personal Growth with a Goal
When I started my walk towards running a subsidiary, I had a lot of ideas about running a business. I had no idea about running a business. While learning the technicalities of the trade was a simple task of discipline and work, growing into the leadership required personal growth. Without the nurturing I received during my time of starting the business, I would not have been able to turn it into a success.
As such the art of mentorship is not to teach a particular skill, but help the mentee grow into shoes, more significant than the ones he is wearing now. Careful advise on how to push onwards and how to improve in every aspect of life, is thus critical.
Consequently, the goal of a mentorship should always be, to be a better person, leader, or teacher. This objective is what differentiates a mentor from a coach, who teaches one particular skill, such as public speaking or motivation.
Mentorship and Action
As much as I love the concept of mentorship, there is one point, that prospective mentees often overlook., when looking for mentorship. A mentorship can only accompany actions. Without a practical application of the mentorship, there is no application and no useful feedback. In essence, it is like talking to the mirror when learning a new language. You might be able to speak it as someone wrote it, but you will not get the nuances and feedback you would get by speaking to an actual native.
The same applies during a mentorship. A mentorship is most effective if the mentor can pick up on actual work performed by the mentee. Whether it is questions of leadership, sales, or interpersonal relations learning is only useful if there is immediate feedback.
Catching Errors
No one is perfect. Learning from mistakes and continuing despite any obstacles is critical. A good mentor is not there to search and catch your errors for you. If he sees them, he should mention them, but he is not your quality control.
However, when an error happens, no matter who discovered the mistake, it should be discussed and used as a learning opportunity. A mentor should help you grow on your failures and move forward with new vigor.
Giving Back
My Mentors have greatly influenced my development. There help in my personal growth has made me the man I am. In today’s world, finding someone who can guide you is essential – No matter where you are in your career. After all that I learned and continue to learn, I am happy to give back and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.