MentorsWhy Mentoring Is Important

Why Is It Important?Mentoring is important no matter if you run your own business or work for someone else.They can guide you with:• Professional Development• Career Choices• Help You With Your Career Plan or Business Plan• Provide A Sounding Board Throughout Your Career

Professional DevelopmentIf you choose a mentor that has previous experience in your current field they will be able to advise on the professional development you need to further develop in your career.Professional development is not just confined to your current job but to your overall development, for example undertaking a language course can help down the line if we want to transfer overseas.There are often a myriad of choices when it comes to professional development and it is very helpful to have someone alongside us who has been there before.

Career ChoicesThere will be often different time during our careers that we will have the choice to take a different direction or we become unsure if we are on the right path.It is helpful to have someone beside us who knows what that is like and who can advise us on what action we can take without making any decisions for us.Also, it is beneficial to have someone act as a sounding board who may not be invested in us like someone in the workplace or friends and family who may have a different opinion if we needed to take a break from work or from our career.

Career or Business PlanMentors have usually had their own personal experience with developing their own career or business plan and are a great source of knowledge for anyone in their journey.Career Plans/Business Plans may come under the guise of 5 year plans but often need to tweaked along the way.Like all plans however they are prone to change so having someone we can talk to about our plans for our career and business is a valuable asset especially if we do not have anyone to talk to in a similar position.

Finally…Consider being a mentor yourself and passing along your knowledge to someone else. You may have been in the workplace only a few years but you can pass along your knowledge to school students, university students or those just entering the workforce.Remember, you don’t have to have all the answers, you just need to be a little bit ahead of the next person.

"Men are rich only as they give. He who gives great service gets great rewards." — Elbert Hubbard