Professional Mentor - What are the Benefits?

Written by admin on Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Professional mentors are a bit different than business coaches. The relationship is a bit less formal, and more of a learn by example type of training. These are the kind of relationships that are usually built from having a close business relationship outside of mentoring altogether. How do professional mentors differ from business coaches and do they make any more or less impact in an entrepreneurs professional development? In the following article, we see just what the benefits of having a professional mentor are.

Professional mentors are not born, in fact they morph into gurus over time through encountering many experiences along their professional career. Their wisdom and wit flourishes from their many life lessons learned through trial and error, hard work and faith, and part luck. It is their high competency level and sharp mind that serves as an asset to employers as well as to students seeking such guides. Professional mentors represent talent from all over the world and usually they are hidden working on their own endeavors. These mentors do not walk around with a sign over their head so people can recognize them, instead we have to seek them out.

For those who are approached by mentors to further their careers and talent, they are very lucky because in most cases it is the other way around. Individuals may know what skills they want to develop and what professional goals they would like to attain, yet they do not have a strategic plan on making their dreams come true. This is where a professional mentor from a given field can assist you in achieving your goals by mapping an execution plan. Below are some things worth recognizing of professional mentors:

1. They can come in the form of a family, friend, colleague, boss or a new contact.
2. If you have a particular reference in mind for requesting their mentorship, definitely ask if they are available to guide you on occasional or regular basis. Professionals are so busy working that it would be refreshing and flattering for a contact to seek their advice.
3. They can usually relate to a wide group of talent ranging from young students to senior professionals.
4. They offer valuable advice as they learned from lessons along their professional journey. They’ll be able to share the Do’s and Don’ts of many activities.
5. Mentoring sessions can take place in-person, over the phone and email (depending upon the mentor’s location).
6. People can have more than one professional mentor, depending on their interests and needs.
7. Professional mentors are not there to grant overnight success to their students. People seeking their wisdom must be proactive in making positive changes in their lives. Mentors offer the tools for individuals to mold their talent into a long lasting asset.
8. Majority of mentors do not charge money. We can find them through networking, professional references or we can nominate a qualified person to become a mentor.
9. Becoming a mentor is a rewarding hobby as it enables him/her to guide and change people’s lives.
10. Mentors are not limited to assisting a certain amount of people at a time. Please do remember they have lives of their own that they can be preoccupied on regular basis. Coordinating schedules for regular sessions in advance works better when making consistent progress.

Sana Shaikh is Founder and President of ShiningRiver Consulting. The consulting firm provides professional development services to businesses and individuals globally. The mission of ShiningRiver Consulting is to provide professional development services to global clients. We primarily serve business clients by providing management consulting, business writing services for business proposals and special projects, and marketing research. Our secondary services cater to individuals who are interested in personal advancement through seeking professional or academic coaching, work place education, and specific academic training needs.

ShiningRiver Consulting
http://www.shiningriverconsulting.com
Ph: 202-821-4246, ext. 573
Ph: 415-376-0881, ext. 606

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Publish Date: 04/30/2010