Being a Mentor

 Throughout my career, I was always in search of a “mentor,” someone who could guide and lead me to a successful career; someone who could show me the ropes and identify the right path to grow and excel. I was never looking for shortcuts but yearned to learn the most efficient and effective way to accomplish tasks and fulfill my responsibilities.  

There were many along the way who helped to pave the road ahead and allowed me the leeway to learn and be effective.

Having learned from others, it was always my desire to one day serve as a mentor myself to provide similar guidance in nurturing a career.   Being a mentor is a huge undertaking, filled with responsibility and accountability.  It is not taken likely because it influences and affects the future of another person.   It requires dedication and time.  Above all, it requires a strong desire to “share” best practices and experiences.  

Hindsight is always 20/20 and experience is always hindsight.  If I knew then what I know now, it would have made such a difference, a real game changer.  With past experiences, the outcome is known and identified, you know how it ends (positive or negative).   This is the knowledge that a mentor can provide, what he has done, accomplished, or failed trying.   If the results were positive, chances are the action taken would work and be appropriate again.   If the results were negative, those are the actions to avoid.  That seems so reasonable, logical, and sensible.

When I was first asked to be a mentor, I was initially apprehensive and humble.

1.      Did I have enough experience to guide someone?

2.      Will the experience I have be enough to influence someone positively?

3.      Can I share the experience in a manner that is appropriate and accepted?

4.      How can I ensure that I can guide the mentee?

I look back at my early days when I was searching for a mentor and what I hoped to learn as a mentee.   Quickly, I realized how much I wanted to learn then as a mentee and consequently the similar guidance a mentee is eager to learn from me now.   That encouraged me to accept the challenge.   I looked at a mentor as being a salesman, selling best practices and positive experiences.   It is self-rewarding and the proof, as always, is in the results.  

In my next article, I will share a testimonial from Daisy Wong, a mentee who has benefitted from my guidance.