Great business mentoring relationships have several things in common. They involve mentees who are fully engaged, and who seek improvement in specific areas of weakness. They are also real relationships in which both parties know and trust each other. Lastly, they are built upon a strong goal as a starting point.
If you seek mentoring that has all those pieces in place, you will soon find yourself fully prepared to activate your ideas and lead your business into a bright future.
Enlisting the help of a Business Mentor gives you access to a minefield of information from someone who has walked your path before, bringing with them their own invaluable business experience and life skills to guide you on your own journey.
They will challenge and encourage you, alert you to potential pitfalls, open your eyes and mind to different perspectives, offer an empathetic, unbiased ear to share your plans and dreams with, and motivate you to take action as you seek to build a thriving enterprise.
But while your Mentor is there to guide you, ultimately you are the master of your own destiny.
Below are a few important ways to ensure your mentoring relationship is a success.
It is important your Mentor is someone who can challenge you in areas where you are underdeveloped, alerting you to your blind spots, so you can improve and emerge as a more well-rounded entrepreneur.
When seeking a Mentor, first ascertain what specific, key area you lack knowledge in and what you seek support in. It could be project management, sales, administration, accounting, or any other core aspect of your business that you are not familiar with. This will enable you to be paired with a Mentor who will foster your crucial skills and allow you to fill personal knowledge gaps in the most important areas. Your weaknesses will eventually become strengths, making you a stronger, more confident leader.
Learn from each other. Strengthen your bond with your Mentor and create a basis for long-term support by learning about their background and finding out who they are. Ask them about their professional backgrounds and how they have navigated their own challenges. This may help you tap into valuable insights that lie outside the specific focus of the mentoring. Getting to know your Mentor creates a stronger and more rewarding relationship and also builds trust and respect, which is priceless.
Have a clear idea of your goals. Know where you want to go - whether it is in terms of profits, growth, or capabilities. Set your goals early and bring your own intentions to the table, rather than passively waiting for your Mentor to take the lead. This will help your Mentor chart the right course for you and evaluate your progress in a meaningful way, helping you to be your best and dramatically increasing your chances of success.
The most important part of any relationship is open, honest communication. To get the most out of your mentoring sessions, you need to show up fully prepared and ready to communicate and listen.
Active Listening is an acquired skill. It’s very easy to engage in a conversation, but how often do you actually stop and actively listen? When you are actively listening, you are concentrating on what is being said in order to understand, respond and remember.
Active listening takes energy. You need to make a conscious effort to not just hear the words being spoken, but to absorb the information being offered, understand and then analyse it, so you might need to take notes and ask questions to gain clarity. Think of active listening as a learning curve that will help you move forward in your journey.
Always bring a positive mindset to the table when working with your Mentor. Do your best to listen and take what they offer you into careful consideration. Treat any difficulties as learning experiences, but be open and honest with your Mentor about any challenges you may face. Enthusiasm, excitement, and eagerness to move your projects forward will all go a long way towards ensuring a successful mentoring relationship and help pave the way towards real business breakthroughs.
Your mentor’s time is precious, so think how best to use it wisely. Enjoy, respect and make the most of your Mentor’s time. Define goals for meetings ahead of time by knowing what you want to discuss and accomplish during your meeting.
The Mentor-Mentee relationship is a two-way street. Nurture your relationship and you will find not only the best version of yourself, but you will gain a longterm supporter in the process.
Talk to us today to learn how one-on-one mentoring can take you and your business to new heights.