Mentoring cuts down on the time it takes to learn a new life or job skill immensely. However, to be effective mentoring relationships need to match mentors and mentees according to the professionals’ talents, abilities and interests.
How to Improve Creative Business Mentoring Relationships
Another factor that increases the chances of mentoring relationships being successful is the willingness of mentees (the people being mentored) and mentors to devote the time and effort to make the relationship work. After all, simply pairing people together (poor marriages might prove this best) doesn’t mean the lives of two people will improve.
Successful mentoring relationships require:
- Mentors and mentees to communicate regularly. This may be one of the greatest challenges to mentoring relationships, mentors typically having full schedules. To meet this challenge standing weekly or bi-monthly meetings should be scheduled between mentors and mentees. These meetings can be 20 to 30 minutes long.
- Discussion topics thought out prior to meetings. Mentees can jot down questions to recent business or life experiences they’ve had. Mentors are encouraged to jot down 2 to 3 training, action steps, cold calling efforts, etc. they want mentees to engage in.
- Opportunities for mentees to put what they learn from mentors action. Signing up for training or learning and development courses isn’t enough. Focused mentee opportunities (e.g. town hall presentations, in-person sales meetings with influential clients) should be developed before mentees and mentors are paired.
Specific Ways Creative Business Leaders Benefits from Mentoring
Senior creative business leaders who volunteer to mentor peers or less senior business leaders, youth and professionals from under-represented populations win as much as the people they mentor do. For example, mentors:
- Gain more opportunities to showcase their leadership skills
- Coach other creative business leaders toward excellence
- Positively influence the bottom line at companies where they work by strengthening abilities in others
- Illustrate to youth first hand that they can overcome obstacles and achieve their goals
- Identify skill gaps at companies where they work
- Expand their professional networks
- Get a clear understanding of specific challenges other creative business leaders face
- Are exposed to diverse ideas, perspectives and business experiences
Centuries ago new workers were trained through apprenticeship programs. Although apprenticeships still exist mainly at jobs that require licensing (e.g. electrician) they aren’t as prevalent as they once were. It’s mentoring relationships that are becoming increasingly popular.
More About Creative Business Mentoring Relationships
That said, mentors can take a few notes from apprenticeship program leaders and start:
- Letting mentees job shadow them
- Design opportunities (this bears repeating) for mentees to put new skills they’ve learned into practice
- View themselves as a key play in a mentee’s success
- Challenge themselves to implement innovative methods and strategies to stretch mentees
- Focus on specific ways supporting mentees improves the workforce at companies
If you’re looking for organizations with available mentoring resources, consider the National Mentoring Partnership (pairs creative business leaders with at-risk youth). The National Center for Research Resources, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, SCORE and Mentors Unlimited are organizations that provide support to creative business leaders and companies seeking to establish or improve existing mentoring relationships.
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Sources:
http://www.mentoring.org/www.oluteens.com (Mentor: The National Mentoring Partnership)
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/career_development_opportunities/mentoring_opportunities (National Center for Research Resources)
http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org/our-work/mentoring-women-in-business (Cherie Blair: Foundation for Women)
