What does it take to be a mentor?
As someone who has professionally mentored others in my industry for many years – and as someone who has personally benefited from mentoring myself – I can say with confidence that I am a huge fan of mentoring.
However, it’s not just “formal” mentoring that can benefit people. I believe that we can all mentor others; we can all be great role models, as we are each unique and have skills that we can share abundantly.
Particularly for those of us who are self-employed and/or running our own businesses, there are things we have learnt along the way that could be of enormous benefit to others. After all, if this path were easy, everyone would do it!
Whether it is the receptionist in your business or your keen office manager, with the right attitude, we can all play our part in developing others’ and helping them to reach their full potential.
For small business owners, there are so many ‘spinning plates’ to be across, around money, digital marketing, investment, lead generation, processes and systems – to name just a few. Different mentors, both formal and informal, can help in different ways.
For me personally, some of my greatest mentoring come from my colleagues; I’m involved in several networking groups where I’ve created close relationships with people from all walks of life. They’re proved invaluable when I’ve needed help to move through a particular problem, or to see a situation in a different light, as they each bring their own unique perspective to play.
When you’re looking for a great mentor to help you move forward with your business goals, consider the areas they can help you with:
Manage issues when they arise and provide a sounding board for business management advice;
Assist with ongoing education requirements and provide networking opportunities;
Facilitate your growth and success by sharing tried and proven strategies and resources, as well as valuable introductions to experts for key areas of their business;
Challenge you to stretch and grow beyond your comfort zone;
Assist with day to day challenges and provide advice, guidance and teach best practice strategies.
Remember, truly great mentors can remember and relate to what it was like when starting out their own business. They can dig deep and give advice “from the trenches”, and perhaps even help you avoid making the same costly mistakes you made.
If you’re in the mortgage industry and you’re seeking formal mentoring, feel free to check out our award-winning Mentoring and Coaching Program, which integrates both classroom and field-based learning environments to offer the structure and ongoing support new entrants need to succeed in finance. Click here to learn more!