Everyone wants to be strong and independent. But true independence is knowing when you don’t know something and when to reach out to a mentor to get what you need.
We live in a world where knowledge is considered power and trained people have a wealth of knowledge to share. Mentor is a person with expertise, experience or knowledge which is valuable to others and holds strong beliefs about helping others by sharing this knowledge with the world. They act as the guide, advisor and support structure to bring out the best in people by learning about their strengths and leveraging it to co-create solutions.
Mentoring is an empowerment tool that can be traced back to ancient Greece. It was once used as a technique to convey important social, spiritual and personal values. Mentors have three things in common. They motivate, inspire, and support. They give mentees the tools they need to achieve their goals and work through challenges.
Stop looking for mentors who like you. Start looking for mentors whom you want to be like.
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey’s rags-to-riches story has changed the way many of us look at the world. And that’s not just because her story is inspirational. It’s because she uses her story and life experience to mentor as many people as possible.
Every mentoring relationship is different — some last for years while some last one coffee date. An inspirational coach will shape the other person’s character, values, self-awareness, empathy, and capacity for respect as well as having a huge impact on that individual’s personal development.
The power of mentoring is a complex exchange of ‘give and take’ where the mentor might gain as much from the session as the mentee – making it a win-win situation. Mentorship at its highest level, is “good people” having the right “good people” around them. As a result, those individuals committed to helping others become fuller versions of who they are.
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