Who has mentored you to reach that next level in your career? Who has helped you learn a specific skill through mentorship? Where would you be without the valuable mentors in your life?
A mentor is someone who provides guidance and support to empower you to reach your goals.
What’s the difference between mentoring and coaching?
Coaching empowers you to find your own answers, encouraging and supporting you on your journey to make important life choices. Coaches don’t give advice. We ask powerful questions to tap into the internal wisdom of our coachees.
Mentors are experienced individuals who give advice, guidance, and support to their less experienced proteges.
During coach training, I had an amazing mentor coach who gave me advice on how to grow my coaching business, such as how to attract clients, what technologies to implement, and which coaching certifications to obtain.
To conquer my fear of public speaking, I joined Toastmasters in 2021 and was given a fantastic public speaking mentor. She helped me navigate the Toastmasters curriculum, sends me helpful resources, and gives me specific advice about the different speaking engagements I undertake.
Who has mentored you in YOUR life?
The value of mentorship early in your career keeps coming up in my coaching conversations. Someone to guide you from their experience. Someone to show you the ropes. Someone to provide you with specific feedback on your projects.
Are you getting the mentorship you need to be successful? It can be scary to ask for help, to admit that you are struggling, and to take up someone else’s time. But mentors get as much from mentorship as their mentees. By giving back and teaching others, mentors learn and grow too. There’s nothing better than seeing someone you have mentored flourish in their career and in their life. What are the features of a successful mentorship relationships?
- Clear communication: open and honest communication is crucial. Both the mentor and mentee should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, ideas, concerns, and goals.
- Mutual trust and respect: the mentee should trust the mentor’s guidance and expertise, while the mentor should respect the mentee’s goals, opinions, and individuality.
- Defined goals and expectations: the mentorship should have clear and achievable goals. These goals might involve skill development, career advancement, personal growth, or other specific objectives. Defining expectations helps both parties stay focused and aligned.
- Feedback and constructive criticism: constructive feedback is essential for growth. A good mentor provides timely and specific feedback that highlights strengths and suggests areas for improvement.
- Knowledge and experience sharing: mentors share their expertise, experiences, and insights with their mentees. This knowledge transfer helps mentees learn from their mentor’s successes and challenges, gaining valuable perspectives.
Is there someone on your team, in another department, or in another organization who could mentor you? What’s stopping you from asking this person for mentorship support?
Sign up for my free Confidence Booster session to learn more about yourself: https://calendly.com/annagradiecoaching/45min
Lots of love,
-Anna
