It’s actually unnecessary to request to be mentored. When was the last time someone asked to be your friend? Just like friendships, mentoring relationships develop once a relationship is nurtured.
You see, mentoring is a relationship between a more experienced person who acts as trusted advisor and a mentee usually over a sustained period of time. Most mentoring outside the workplace are informal.
With mentoring, what you achieve from the relationship is actually what you put into it. If you have a mentoring opportunity, try your best to establish a relationship first, you can do this by building rapport.
Most mentors who still work will have busy schedules, it’s good to establish their availability as you reach out. Avoid long messages or emails requiring long responses. If trust is established or better still you are introduced, you should arrange a face to face meeting or place a call to them soon. If one mentor is too busy for you, try another.
Ask for communication preferences, do not use a message service like WhatsApp unless agreed.
Challenge mentors with interesting questions, many good mentors enjoy helping out. Use your time with them wisely. Remember a mentor is a trusted advisor and guide, if you have a big knowledge or skills gap, you probably need to make a training investment.
Don’t start by asking for favours either. It can put a good mentor off.
Always remember why you approached them in the first place. I have mentors who have never called me, and that’s ok, so don’t expect nothing but to learn from their wealth of experience. Once a relationship is established, your mentor may start calling you regularly, to check on your progress.
A coach on the other hand is more formal and works with you on achieving a specific goal. A coach, through a structured process will help you achieve your goals much faster than if you were to do it yourself. lf you need that push and accountability partner, that will be a coach. A coach could even combine coaching sessions with a training programme if that suits the goal you are trying to achieve.
You won’t have to worry about calling, the coach will schedule your sessions. Sounds too good right? I am sure some of us are thinking why didn’t I get a coach all the while?
It’s never too late, you only need to find one that suits your goals and hire their services! You heard right, you need to pay for services.
Don’t befriend a mentor or coach in the hope of getting free services. Rather, signing up for their programme is likely to get their attention.
Both coaching and mentoring have are great opportunities for development.
So next time you think, I need a mentor, think again. If you are not ready to work on building a relationship then consider hiring a coach. I hoped this helped you?
Your thoughts?
PS: My husband called this look, ‘Rich Aunty vibes’, please explain, so I know if to claim or not.
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