Everyone Needs a Mentor – Find out Why!

Most successful people have mentors. They understand the power of mentoring and the difference it can make to their career and life. Mentorship is not reserved for a select few - it is for everyone. You are never too young, old, experienced, wise or successful to have mentors. In fact, it is more common than you think.

I attend numerous events, where I hear the words “My Mentor” being mentioned again and again. Make a point of listening out for these words the next time you attend a speaking event or engagement.

As you get to understand what mentoring truly is, the more you will realize, that it is not surprising at all, that many successful and influential people’s defining moments in life, have a strong connection to a mentoring relationship.

Having a mentor empowers you to be the best you can be. They help you, by guiding and supporting you, enabling you to focus on your goals and maximize your potential. They hold you accountable and believe in your capabilities regardless of the challenges you face.

I believe in mentorship, and I understand firsthand the benefits of being mentored and mentoring others. This is the reason why I developed Mentors Insync, a platform to help you connect with mentors. You will no longer have the excuse “I don’t know where to find a Mentor,” because we make it easy for you to find and connect with those people who want to help you.

GET yourself a MENTOR if you are looking to get ahead, wanting to deliver great results or have the desire to reach your ultimate potential. A mentor will help you: find your true purpose, advance in your career and help you to build a business. A mentor opens doors, focuses on your goals, keeps you accountable, inspires and motivates you and has your back.

Mentors do not give advice, but rather share information based on their own experiences which relate to your situation. They ask relevant questions directed in a specific way, that helps to provide you with insight to find solutions yourself. In some cases, it may seem like an apprenticeship, where the person is able to develop their skills based on their mentor’s knowledge and expertise.

Tapping into the right types of mentors is purely based on your needs and circumstances at the time. Therefore, as your needs change, so will the type of mentor you will require.

So, what is the catch? Well it begins and ends with you. You have to make the first move; you have to ask for help; you have to want the help; you have to decide on your needs and goals; you need to determine what exactly you want help with. It is as my 16-year-old son’s teacher puts it: “It’s up to you to ask for help, we are all here to help you, all you need to do is ask.”

There are so many good reasons for having mentors, that you would have to think twice about why wouldn’t you have at least one?

My understanding of mentorship is unique, yet aligned with people’s needs. My passion and focus is on making a difference to people’s lives, and I know mentorship is that difference. Mentors Insync delivers a solution that is disruptive in its approach, provides equal opportunity and promotes corporate social responsibility.

I, myself, have reached out to many people asking for their help, especially whilst building this business. Many have been incredible mentors, some whom I will continue to have for life whilst, others will become new mentors as I continue to grow and develop.

Mentoring is a two-way relationship, a collaborative sharing of knowledge and experiences.  Mentors have just as much to gain from these mentoring relationships, something that is especially evident where reverse mentoring is concerned. But for mentorship to work best, both parties need to be actively involved in the relationship.

Mentoring is becoming more popular as people are recognizing its potential and benefits. Mentors are a valuable resource that everyone can tap into. CEO’s and even the biggest names in business; “Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg Oprah Winfrey etc., acknowledge their own need for mentors."

According to Management Mentors “more and more, people and organizations are recognizing the importance and value of mentoring. In today's ultra-competitive workforce, businesses can't afford NOT to have a business mentoring program. After all, the skills of company’s executives and employees are their most valuable assets.” For example:

•  80% of CEOs polled stated they have had mentors.
• Access to mentors has given them insider knowledge and access to power.
• Mentoring has assisted them in having careers that are fast tracked and forward moving, which they claim would have been much harder or impossible otherwise.
•  Data, from an Emerging Workforce Study, showed that 35% of employees who don’t receive regular mentoring plan to look for another job within 12 months. 

Now that you understand that having a mentor is no longer a luxury or a desire, but rather a necessity, if you want to be the best, have the chance to be recognized, be given every opportunity to succeed and stand out from the crowds, GET a MENTOR.

For organizations, if you want to hold onto great talent, improve engagement and productivity, and make a difference to the bottom line – You need to have a MENTORING PROGRAM.

For those of you who have had a mentor, please share the value of mentoring to you, by adding your comments below.

If you have not yet had a mentor, can you add some reasons why you feel it is important, and how it would benefit you and others in the workforce.

To find a mentor or more about us, please visit our website at www.mentorsinsync.com

How to rescue a person from “drowning at work” – A Mentor’s Guide

Times have changed. We only need to look at Social Media to understand how it has become all consuming. Do we even know how to take a break these days? How much chocolate, energy drinks etc., do we need to keep going?

The fact is life has become hectic to say the least, and the bottom line is, we are all overloaded in one way or another.

So, how can you help others to manage their workload and at the same time find strategies that will lighten the load for yourself?

As a person’s mentor, you have the ability to guide them through the process, that will allow them to take control over their own lives. It is not about telling them what to do, but rather assisting them through a process of questioning that is relevant to their situation.

This will clearly help them to define the problem areas and find the solutions for themselves. Once the person understands what they need to do, then it is all about implementing those strategies. You, as their mentor, can hold them accountable to follow through.

Here are some questions you can ask that will assist you through the process:

1. Are there tasks that you are doing right now that you could stop doing? This question is to clarify for the person the differences between what is mission-critical and what seems important, but really isn’t. Helping a person to prioritize tasks or to re-evaluate if some of these can be eliminated, will prevent them from becoming stressed and overwhelmed.

2. Are you doing stuff that has become redundant?

Sometimes we may be working on a project that seemed important at the time, but has now become obsolete. Alerting a person to this, may help them to comprehend the importance of having interim deadlines and scheduling progress meetings. This will also help them to stay up to date with their work.

3. Are you an organized person?

This question helps you to understand if their behaviour is the issue or if they just need help with planning. It seems that to stay on top of things, we need to become extremely well organized. I have found that the more I schedule in my diary and plan ahead, the less stressed I become. Don’t get me wrong, I much prefer to be spontaneous, but when time is poor, you really need to program everything into your diary, including things in your personal life.

4. Are there other people that can do some of the work for you?

This question will determine if the person can let go, by passing on work to others and being good at delegation. It may also establish how great they could be as a leader. If you take this a step further and explore what the person absolutely loves doing, what they don’t mind doing, what they are good at and what they hate doing; you will then be able to explore options for delegating, especially the things they hate. We sometimes think we need to do everything ourselves, but having the right resources, supports and training in place, can really help. Speaking to the right people, asking for help or networking, can provide the person with the relevant resources.

5. Are you doing repetitive tasks?

This is a great question. You see, most people are repeating tasks over again and again. The way round this is to put a system in place. You can help the person to formulate systems for the tasks that are repetitive. This could be anything from developing standard documents to creating blueprints or even producing videos. You can help the person to discover alternative strategies to create systems that will free up their time, and allow them to do the really important things.

6. Could you improve your time management?

It seems we can all waste time. The average person in the U.S spends 20 – 60 minutes a day on Facebook alone and 28% of the workweek reading or responding to emails. This is estimated at 6.3 hours a day. Now that is a lot of time that is being wasted. You may be able to give the person some tips and strategies as to how and when to tackle some of these tasks and improve their time management. By helping them to find solutions themselves, they will have a much better chance of implementing them.

7. When are you most productive and what does this look like?

We all work differently. Some of us are more focused in the morning, whilst others are better in the evening. Some people can concentrate better in a quiet office, whilst others work better in noise, like an open-plan office. There is evidence to show that people get more done when they remain focused on one task at a time, rather than multi-tasking. This question will help the person to recognize what works best for them. They can then speak with their boss about options with regards to flexibility etc.

8. Are there other things you can do to relax and alleviate your stress?

This is an important question that will help them to explore a range of options that will not only be helpful to their work-life, but also for their personal wellbeing. Exercise for one, has been shown to not only alleviate stress, but it increases focus and productivity. Another good technique is meditation, taking regular short breaks etc. Working on a 30, 60 or 90-day action plan or the 5 must do items to complete in a day, can provide more focus and achieve better outcomes.

As the person’s mentor, you can help them to figure out some great strategies that will prevent them from ‘drowning at work’.

Mentors Insync makes it easy for Mentors and Mentees to connect with one another. It is flexible and will save you time. Visit mentorsinsync.com to find out more.