Wisdom from a Mentor
What wisdom have you gained from the experience of mentors?
According to Dictionary.com a mentor is defined as “an experienced and trusted adviser” The role of a mentor is to encourage and empower the personal growth of the mentee by helping to identify and reduce gaps in relevant skills and knowledge.
Few things in life are more gratifying than knowing you have helped another person become a better version of themself. There are perks of both mentoring and being mentored. It’s a teacher-learner relationship, however in truth, we should all be learning all the time. As the saying goes, “learn from my mistakes” Mentoring is using the wisdom of our experience, both successes and failures (especially failures), to guide those who have just started or are on their journey. Anyone you come into contact with is a potential mentor. Each person has a set of different experiences, and all of them are learning opportunities. And you don’t have to stick with just one. You might have different mentors for different aspects of your personal and professional growth. This is why businesses have a board of directors. One might call them, board of mentors.
I personally have had many mentors throughout my life.
My 4th grade teacher who taught me that life has its ups and downs and to embrace the highs and lows while keeping myself on a “steady even keel”.
My high school acting coach who showed me how to broaden my horizons and reach for the stars. (Literally, he helped me get cast in musicals in an outdoor theatre in the Oakland Hills).
My spiritual mentors who continue to teach me to trust, believe, and let go of what I cannot control. (This is extremely challenging in relation to my two teenagers)
My business mentors that helped me visualize the path, be bold as I tell my story and are always willing to noodle a new idea with me.
Collectively these are the members of my Board of Directors, Present and Past!
What makes a good mentor? In my experience, mentors are thoughtful and caring, make us think and question our values and purpose. They ask us the hard questions and bring out the best in us. It’s a journey to get there, but a highly rewarding journey. Being a mentor involves intentionality and a “paying it forward”, encouraging the mentee to also give a hand up to those that come next.
I have found mentoring to be one of the most rewarding opportunities in my life, whether it’s within a family, in a family business or in nearly any other role. Like it or not, we all serve as mentors for our children and NextGens. It’s important that we do it well.
I could not be more proud to be part of the Main Center for Entrepreneurs mentor program.
MCE believes that to succeed, entrepreneurs need access to people with real-world experience: people who have “been there, done that”. As a solution to this common challenge, MCE has developed a dedicated team of volunteer industry experts to better serve Maine companies and organizations looking to grow and scale. They pair strong mentors with high-potential entrepreneurs for best results. I am proud to be one of these mentors.
For more information about MCE visit their site.
