Business Mentoring When we hear the word ‘mentor’ we might imagine someone who is old, wise, experienced and knowledgeable and is willing to share to benefit others. It is only relatively recently that the term mentor has become significant in busines and commerce. The term ‘business mentor’ is often used to mean a a lot of things, from training delivered by specialists, to appointing non-executive directors. It can also be used to mean that someone is employed to run your business for you, hopefully more efficiently, so you can watch and learn.
Business Mentoring is none of these things. In its bare essentials, it is a trusting relationship. The mentoring relationship is very intimate and involves support, guidance and motivation. Mentoring brings you face to face with those difficult questions that are out of your comfort zone. The mentor must be someone with business experience who can provide a different point of view. Obviously, on our own we can only draw on what we know or have experienced. A mentor provides a completely fresh viewpoint and will bring brand new insights when faced with the hard decisions and will be able to suggest ways of improving your business. Most importantly, a mentor will motivate you to go on to greater things.
Most successful business entrepreneurs freely acknowledge the support and guidance they received from a business mentor – for example, Sir Richard Branson still cites the support and advice given to him by Sir Freddie Laker during his long battle to establish Virgin Atlantic within the airline industry. (Sir Freddie was one of the first pioneers of budget airlines.) Everyone recognises that being the head of a business is very tough and very isolated. Loneliness is frequently a major problem. A good business mentor is also a business friend, who will support you thought the complex process of running a business; this helps remove the feeling of isolation. Decision making becomes more realistic and effective, through a sharing of views with with a trusted mentor, who has no other interest than your success. Contact us for a complimentary no-obligation review meeting. Is A Business Mentor Strictly Necessary? You need a Business Mentor and Coach if you want to improve yourself and your business. "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!" Getting the Most From A Business Mentoring Relationship To derive full value from Business Mentoring and Coaching you need to be prepared to make personal changes, be prepared for and accept uncomfortable challenges, and take action daily towards your success. Despite the pressures, you have to make time to meet your mentor and make time to discuss and plan. You must also be prepared to deliver the plans you agree with the Mentor. He will hold you accountable! It is virtually certain that if you do these things, you will become more successful with each passing day. Is There a Downside Risk? There are minimal risks to Business Mentoring and Coaching. You still make the decisions and run the business. Your Business Mentor simply helps you discover better ways of doing it. There are no long-term binding contractual terms. If you feel you are not getting value for money, or the relationship is not working out, the contract can be cancelled at any time without notice and without prejudice on either side. The only major risk is neglecting yourself and not taking up the opportunity to develop and grow. Your competitors certainly will.
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