Success Motivation & Community Empowerment

Tuesday 1 October 2013

What Every Mentor Should Know

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As a mentor you want your time and your experience to make a difference. But mentorships, while rewarding, are not without their frustrations. Luckily, just adjusting your approach can remove a lot of unnecessary hurdles and frustrations.

Pick your niche. Your mentorship will be stronger if you first think about who you can best serve. For example, I don't have the expertise to help entrepreneurs who are interested in areas such as creating physical consumer goods. I decided to merge my specific expertise, building technology products and companies, with a focus on an underserved group: women in technology. Finding the right group of mentees helps me mentor more effectively.

Make time. Mentorships are relationships. They're not transactions or crammed sessions on an already booked schedule. Think carefully about how much time you can contribute and pick a time interval and frequency you can adhere to consistently. When you meet, be present without distractions. To progress, you'll need to meet consistently so you can gauge what your mentees' needs are and help them accordingly. Most of your initial meetings are just "getting to know you" sessions, and it's only after meeting a few times that you really understand someone, their goals and how you can help them.

Don't give advice. Too many first-time mentors offer advice instead of guidance. They offer a solution based on what worked for them, given their experience and the context they were working in, instead of a process that mentees can learn from and apply to their own needs and situation. Your mentees might have a different background or challenge and it's important to take the time to understand their interests, goals, and what's worked and failed for them. For example, I recently had a mentee who was keen on setting up her own software development consulting business. Had I just looked on the surface I would have given her advice and tips on how to set up a consultancy. However, after getting to know her for about a month, I realized her shyness might affect her ability to deal with clients directly. We took a step back and worked on her presentations skills, so she could gain the confidence she needed to attract clients.

Know when you cannot help. There are times it will seem like you and your mentee are spinning your wheels. The truth is, your mentee might need help that is beyond your abilities. If your mentee is dealing with personal issues, for instance, your mentee might be better served by a professional therapist or lifecoach. If you don't have the experience or training that your mentee needs in the moment, explain that you'll need to put the mentorship on hold. Keep in touch and connect later when your mentee is ready.

Just say no. If someone reaches out to you, and you're simply swamped, let that potential mentee know. Maybe you're overstretched at work or overbooked with other mentees. If that's the case, once you do have an opening let them know. If you've had an ongoing mentorship relationship and your schedule changes, let them know that as well – they'll appreciate your honesty. Since you've built a relationship with this individual they'll understand and you'll be able to pick up your sessions when it makes sense for you both.

 
Poornima Vijayashanker is the founder of Femgineer, an education services company dedicated to helping tech professionals and entrepreneurs better themselves in product development, communication, and leadership.

The author is an Entrepreneur contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Why Young Professionals Need Mentors for Success

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THINKING BIG!—> Remember there is an opportunity in every obstacle.

Ilya Pozin
Ilya Pozin
Founder, Ciplex
 
Half of recent college graduates are working as waiters or waitresses, bartenders, or baristas. Sure, some of these unemployed or underemployed grads should’ve examined industry outlooks several years ago, pursued degrees in nursing, accounting, or computer science, and reserved their passion for anthropology, art history, or the humanities as a hobby.

However, half of recent grads were successful in starting their careers. How were these recent graduates able to find good work? Extracurricular activities during school? Maybe. A few completed internships? Probably. A professional mentor? Definitely.

Recent graduates keeping their heads above water in a discouraging job market certainly owe their success to determination and hard work, but also to mentors they’ve encountered along their journeys. I know because I owe much of my success today to my mentors.

Here’s how professional mentors can help young professionals combat unemployment:

By Offering Overwhelming Support And Motivation

When I was still in college, a man by the name of Tom Antion took me under his wing and brought me on full-time at his company. In less than a year of working with Antion I was equipped with the knowledge and support to start my own venture. Professional mentors have the same impact on young professionals as to what Boy Scout leaders and little league coaches have on a child. They offer overwhelming support and motivation to help mold young professionals into who they will become, and in a tough job market, they’re prepared to keep them positive and motivated through job searches, interviews, rejections, and successes.

By Helping Decide How Quickly To Grow

As mentioned, I was only with Antion for a year, yet he gave his blessing and encouragement when I opted to move to LA to start Ciplex. Mentors have usually encountered the same experiences young professional will soon face. They have first-hand stories on how they overcame obstacles, or how they failed. Because of these experiences, they can help new professionals determine what steps to take in their career, and can offer support when it is time to make a big step in a new direction.

By Unselfishly Sharing Personal Stories

As hard as it is sometimes, we can’t be all work and no play. Mentors can alleviate some stress of figuring out how to balance a budget, a full-time job, paying off debt, buying a house, starting a family, all while being a successful professional. By sharing their own personal stories, professional mentors build personal relationships with their mentee. That relationship is worth it’s weight in gold.

By Teaching What They’ve Learned

With Gen Y being branded as unmotivated, disrespectful workers, these young professionals need to constantly aim to break the mold. I’ve worked or networked with many of these young professionals who are the hard working, ambitious kind — just like I was when I started my company at 17. Mentors see beyond the everyday lazy young person, recognize the hard workers, and share the lessons they’ve learned to better prepare young professionals in their careers.

There are many great solutions and movements focused on helping to end unemployment for today’s young people. #StartupLab, launching Labor Day weekend, is a great example offering a free virtual mentorship program for our top young statups. The message is clear: mentors are essential for combating unemployment and underemployment among today’s young workers and can make those hard earned college degrees seem like they were worth it again.

Do you think mentors are vital to combat unemployment among recent graduates? Why or why not?

Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ilya-pozin/why-young-professionals-n_b_1842738.html