Mentoring Advisory Services
Mentors are key to anyone’s success. Sometimes we choose them deliberately, and sometimes they are people who are already present in our lives that we model ourselves after. Some mentors are active in the process with us, others are more casual, they just help us talk through issues and challenges, providing insights and perspective.
Anyone who has achieved success understands that no one is ‘self-made’ – it always takes a lot of support to succeed. An important area of support that any businessperson needs is objective and constructive feedback. For a business leader or C-Suite level executive this almost always requires you to look to someone outside your organization.
You can’t just flip a switch and build a mentoring relationship. Mentors are not cheerleaders, and regardless of whether the relationship is built via a formal or informal engagement, mentors are interested and engaged in your success: They want to help and they are rooting for you to succeed. For some people, a family member is a mentor in life, but in business, their emotional attachment to you will affect their objectivity; We are all human and shouldn’t expect otherwise! A good mentor is someone who will listen to you and provide you with a confidential and safe space in which you can talk openly about all your challenges. Some mentors are people you already know, and others you build relationships with.
Who needs Mentors?
Most CEOs & business leaders need someone to talk to confidentially who can understand the types of challenges they face, and who can provide an independent ear. This advisor is someone who can also provide you with unvarnished feedback in a constructive manner. A mentor advisor will take the time necessary to understand what your personal and professional goals are, and they will provide you with perspective on issues that are front of mind for you with regards to what’s needed for you to succeed as a person in dealing with the issues at hand.
In working with a mentor advisor, the feedback they provide offers you valuable insight into how you are addressing or framing issues to others. If your explanation of an issue is confusing to your mentor, it’s also confusing to the people who report to you. Talking through issues with a mentor advisor helps you achieve clarity, just as rehearsing allows you to prepare and work out the kinks in a presentation, talking to a mentor provides you with perspective and feedback on your messaging.
Engaging a Mentor
In general, an engagement begins with a “get to know you session” where you both discuss expectations after which an appropriate plan is agreed upon and put in place. Ongoing meetings can be as light as a scheduled monthly call, or more intensive as needed.
Counsellors and therapists help people get to the root of issues and address them. This mentor advisor role is a form of business management counsellor. We like to provide mentoring to select individuals because we want to help them stay ahead of problems. We didn’t accomplish things by ourselves, and without support, neither will anyone else.
If you need someone to assist via a more active engagement, please take a look at our Management Consulting page. Regardless of your needs, we care about your success.