Executive Mindset
Management Strategies GOOD COUNSEL
CAREER MENTORS The best are wise and trusted teachers by CRAIG PETRUS
T
he concept of mentorship can mean many things to many people. Ask 10 business professionals what mentorship means to them, and you will probably get 10 different answers. However, in doing so, you will also most likely receive a few similar themes that emerge from their answers. Mentorship can be a significant part of your overall career success, both early on in your career and even late in your professional life. A strong and trusted mentor is someone who can provide you with a solid baseline of career support, someone who will keep you grounded, and someone who will help you remain self-aware throughout your career journey.
WHY DO WE NEED A MENTOR? We do not always have the answers to every possible challenge that is thrown our way in our jobs. That is why we have mentors to help us and guide us through some of our challenging days at work. Mentors can help guide you through situations such as problems with coworkers and potential career-growth opportunities that are presented to you. They can help you improve upon your soft skills (communication, networking, decision-making), offer up ideas around strategy and provide advice around career progression and promotion.
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A mentor is someone who will keep you grounded in your professional journey and provide direction that you may not be getting from your supervisor or other coworkers. In an effort to improve upon certain skills in our lives, a mentor acts as a career coach and our career champion. A mentor essentially fills those gaps that are missing from your career and professional development growth.
THE ROLE OF A MENTOR The definition of a mentor is “wise and trusted counselor or teacher; an influential senior sponsor or supporter.� As I read this true definition of a mentor, a few words jump off the page. Those words are trusted, influential and supporter. A strong mentor must be all three of these things: someone who you can absolutely trust during those times when you need guidance, someone who can be influential, someone who you look up to and respect their advice and feedback and someone who will support you in any way they can to further grow your career. A mentor is someone you can share ideas with without fear of embarrassment. You should have a level of understanding with your mentor that no matter what the subject matter may be or how crazy an idea may seem, it is OK to have these types of conversations and feel comfortable
