Professional Development - Previous Blogs
Mentoring is a Must
By Kim Monaghan, M.A., P.C.C., C.P.R.W (Guest Blogger)
You've heard me say it before and I'll say it again... Mentoring is a must! But for mentoring to really succeed, you should be a mentor, and, you should have a mentor. So, if you’re ready to take your career to new heights, follow these four steps:
- Be a mentor. Mentoring invites you to experience the joy of empowering another by guiding and advising someone on their professional endeavors. You can find someone seeking your mentorship through a college career office, professional association, LinkedIn community or affinity group.
- Find a mentor. Establishing a relationship with your own mentor helps you expand your thinking and perspectives. Many C.E.O.s and presidents of organizations credit their mentors with helping them stay focused and successful and overcoming challenges and obstacles on their professional path.
- Push your limits. To tap into a broad wealth of expertise, seek mentoring from inside, and outside, your organization. Diverse mentors will also give you a variety of perspectives and while they don’t need to be in your industry, they should have relevant experience. And the more successful your mentor is, the more likely you’ll push your limits and reach a comparable height.
- Make it easy. Sustaining the mentoring relationships is up to you, especially if you’re the mentee. Make it easy for both parties by taking the initiative and setting your schedule and intentions and arrive prepared with an agenda and questions.
- Always be gracious. Mentoring is an exchange of precious time and energy so be sure to show your appreciation. Extending your thanks, writing a nice note, offering to be of help and treating them to lunch goes a long way in demonstrating your professionalism and gratitude.
Remember, there's a lot of professional power within a mentoring relationship. When you have one or more mentors to support and guide you on your journey, the possibilities are endless.
Share this spotlight
Return to the listing of professional development - previous blogs.