Blackberry? Tick. Own office? Tick. Mentor? No? Get one to get ahead.
If you were a sports person you’d have a coach who’d work with you on your fitness, training, diet and your goals.You’d be supported by someone who prioritised your best interests. You wouldn’t even question that coaching was part of the deal.
Coaches, or mentors, help us get better at what we already do.
“Good, objective mentorship smoothes the upward path, warns of pitfalls and offers insights into the best way to manage a variety of situations,” says Teryl Schroenn, CEO of people management company Accsys and the Business Women Association’s Mentoring Committee Chair. “The growth in the requirement for formal mentorship programmes, I think, is directly related to the difficulties women in business have in finding in-house mentors who enable them to grow,” explains Schroen, who was herself mentored when she took on the title of CEO seven years ago. “My mentors gave me sound advice whenever I asked for it, met with me regularly to give me the opportunity to discuss issues, and gave me the benefit of years of experience. Both my mentors were very structured in their approach to management and gave me invaluable advice which I use to this day,” she says.
So, is it possible to succeed in business without a mentor? Yes. But is it easier to succeed in business with a mentor Definitely. A mentor is there to help you, to provide guidance, and to open up her network for your benefit. In the simplest terms, a mentor is a person who willingly shares experience, knowledge and acumen about a certain occupation or in a specific area of expertise like finance, investing or marketing, says Colleen Larsen, the CEO of non-profit organisation Women in Finance. However, she says, “the mentor is not a guarantee for success. The mentee has to remain accountable and responsible for her success.”
Choosing your mentor
The kind of mentor you choose is up to you. Since women think like women and men think like men you may be better off finding a female mentor. Women also encounter a different set of problems in the work place. For example, a female mentor may be better able to tell you how to crack a male-dominated industry or how to deal with gender discrimination issues.
Georgia Stylianou, an organisational psychologist who facilitates mentor programmes, suggests finding a mentor by:
- Approaching someone more senior and skilled, that you respect
- Joining an online informal mentoring community
- Joining a professional association such as the Business Women’s Association and participating in their mentoring programmes.
- Participating in your company’s formal mentoring programme, if one exists
How to make the most of a mentor
“The introduction of any mentorship relationship should include the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU),” says Stylianou. This will cover areas such as: mentoring outcomes, success measures, agreement of venues, times and frequency that the parties would like to meet, and mentor and mentee commitments. By adhering to the “ground rules”, the relationship of trust and transparency will be honoured and protected.
Stylianou also advises:
- Setting your objectives and goals upfront.
- Being open-minded about advice offered, and challenging your mentor’s views to gain insight.
- Ensuring that you acknowledge and appreciate that a mentor is a busy person too who is giving up their time and expertise.
- Realising that mentorship is a two-way relationship: come prepared to explore your vulnerability, be challenged and not be defensive.
What to watch out for
Says Larsen: The mentor must not…
- Burden the mentee with her own issues.
- Take responsibility for the mentee’s decisions whether it is believed that these will lead to success or failure.
- Create dependence of the mentee on the mentor.
- Give the impression that she has all the answers.
Finding a mentor
- Business Women’s Association South Africa: www.bwasa.co.za/mentoring
- Women in Finance: www.womeninfinance.co.za or email mentorship@womenfinance.co.za
- For an online mentoring programme with The Gordon Institute of Business Science: www.next.gibs.co.za
Comments