Member-only story
Why you need a mentor
Last year I decided to invest in myself professionally. I looked at what might be of maximum benefit to develop and grow in my crucial competency areas. To this end, I found an opportunity on my women’s networking website to join a mentor buddy program. I joined the program — after an introductory session, I paired with a lovely French lady. We have been meeting regularly for the past twelve months, and I have benefited so much from the relationship. As it is a buddy system, we both get mentored as well as do the mentoring.
We spend about thirty minutes sharing our challenges, achievements and aims for the next week. The three key areas that I have found of most benefit is:
A different perspective
I love how she can see my challenges from a different perspective. What this allows me to have are various options that I haven’t thought of before. Sometimes, I just hadn’t thought of it, and sometimes it’s because I undersell myself, and she will push me to achieve more.
Accountability
I work for myself, and accountability is always a challenge for me. Having said aloud what I aim to achieve helps me to do more. It also pushes me when I’m feeling lazy. Knowing that I will share what I completed during my week helps me want to do more.
