Guest Blogger: Natasha Weston | www.tabletalkwithtottie.com
It’s spring time, which means summer months are quickly approaching! During this time, most of you are probably in search for the perfect internship for the summer. Summertime is the perfect time to gain some experience in your desired profession but it’s also a great time to find the perfect mentor. Although mentorship is a topic that Loren has discussed on several occasions via Loren’s World, I’d like to give you three key components to look for in any mentor-mentee relationship.
According to Wikipedia, “Mentorship is a personal developmental relationship where a more experienced or knowledgeable person helps guide a less experienced or knowledgeable person.” In simpler terms, a mentor is someone who you would look up to that’s already successful in whatever field that you aspire to be a success in. It’s important to have at least one mentor (who is not your friend) to help guide you and share their experiences and skill sets with you. Contrary to what most may think, a mentor doesn’t have to be a celebrity or “well known” individual, but you want to be sure that your mentor “has receipts” to prove that he/she has in fact built a successful career that you can learn and grow from! I have been blessed to have a few awesome mentors, Loren being one, that are indeed very different. However, this allows me to be able to pull different attributes, skills and characteristics from each of them that I can apply to my career. Check out three of the key components that I’ve observed in several of my mentor relationships over the past 3 years.
3 Key Components to an Effective Mentor Relationship
1) Both mentor & mentee should benefit from the relationship: There’s nothing worse than a mentor relationship where only one person in the relationship is gaining from it! While it may appear that the only person that can gain from this type of relationship is the mentee, it is also important that the mentor gains from the relationship as well. There are several ways that this can happen! Tell others about your mentor and their business and share their products and/or services on your social media platforms!
2) Be a great listener: It’s important for both parties to listen to one another. Be open to suggestions, advice and constructive critism! Remember, you are both trying to make each other better individuals which will lead to better businesses!
3) Keep the relationship positive, productive & EFFECTIVE: Be sure that the result of this type of relationship is showing in the progress of your business/career. There’s no point in having a mentor if you aren’t applying any of their skills, advice & wisdom to your journey! Make sure that you stay in contact with each other to discuss your progress and successes. You both want to BE EFFECTIVE!
What are some components that you’ve noticed in your mentor relationships?
