Mentoring

Category: Opinion
Published: June 2007

We at Success Magazine Ltd believe in the value of having mentors to guide you towards success. We will be starting a mentoring program in the fall to assist up-and-coming businesses.

As I research some of the most successful people in our area, I have found that they have had mentors, whether it is their father, attorney, accountant, or business associate who took them under their wing. Mentoring is a critical aspect of being successful. In her interview last month, Dawn Vavala shared with us that to be successful in business you need to have four critical people in your life: a good attorney, accountant, banker and public relations manger.

In many businesses, the entrepreneurs and managers have only one of these critical influences in their lives. We have stressed that to be successful, you must have a business and market plan. The most successful people have mentors who help them implement those plans as they attempt to be successful in their journey. It is crucial to involve yourself with someone who can help you through your life, because there are going to be rough times when your accounts receivable run high and you can't make payroll, or you over-extend yourself planning for the continued success of a good economy and the rates jump, causing the market to slow down. A good mentor can help you through those tough times so that you do not make critical mistakes that can cost you your business and home.

Most of us are too busy trying to run our own affairs and do not take the time to "teach a child in the way he should go." That holds true for both our business and personal lives. As fathers and mothers, we are responsible for guiding our children and helping them in their search for success. It is not always easy, especially with the dual-income families of today. Many parents are just getting by, while others are stressing over their new home and the extended credit card debt they incurred keeping up with the Joneses. So, as mentors what should we do? We should spread the wealth of our experience, and help others to realize their dreams and become successful.

As mentors, we can facilitate critical insights, enabling one to set targeted goals and take deliberate action. As mentors, we can help others to see where they are, and guide them to where they want to go. A mentor challenges and helps their proteg accomplish more.

A mentor is someone who helps you to:

• plan for the future
• overcome fears and wrong mindsets
• encourage you to pursue your dreams
• solve problems and find solutions
• keep you focused and motivated
• support you in all your endeavors