5 benefits of having a business mentor
22 July 2016
Our mentoring advisor, Andy Hall, gives his top 5 benefits of having a business mentor.
Over the past three years, the mentoring team at the Business Growth Hub have formed over four hundred successful mentoring relationships. I am delighted to have been involved many of these “matches” and feel especially proud to see the positive results that our inspiring voluntary mentors have influenced by supporting other business owners.
Often a mentor can make a huge difference to a mentee through the additional insights they share from their own personal experience. In this respect mentoring differs from advising, coaching or consulting.
When we ask a client “why do you want a mentor?” and “how would it benefit you?” there are many different answers. Everyone has their individual challenges and no two people are the same. This is why mentors are matched with a person rather than a business.
Below are the top five reasons our clients ask for a business mentor.
A sounding board and reassurance
This, in my experience, is the most common request. Most people have supportive “cheerleaders” around them. Coaches can motivate and consultants can advise. However, hearing firsthand experiences from the mentor can often be the reassurance that you are not alone. Mentors will often share their mistakes and successes. They can listen and offer an opinion when asked, after all, they have probably “been there and done that”.
Skill transfer
Savvy business owners are always looking to add to their skill sets. So what better way to learn how to be a more effective leader, speaker, marketer, project manager etc. than to have a private 1-2-1 with a skilled mentor?
Challenge
Motivation is the key to taking action. A mentor can challenge how their mentee spends their time and why they are doing that. By being challenged by, and being held accountable to a respected influence, mentees become highly motivated and answer the big questions which they often avoid.
Open doors
Mentors have different circles of influence to their mentee and usually have a much longer list of contacts. By having regular meetings with a mentor, names are dropped and contacts are made when relevant and mutually beneficial introductions are made.
Inspiration
Mentors love to share their experience. I have met hundreds of mentors and it’s almost impossible not to be inspired by what they have achieved. Being set challenges and targets by a mentor or coach can motive and create volition. Hearing stories about what your mentor has done in their career and lives can provide the spark. Mentors love to share their experiences and that is often why they mentor in the first place. Imagine having coffee with your business idol, what would you ask them?
There are many benefits to having an outside perspective from someone you admire and respect. Business mentoring has become incredibly popular in recent years and with good reason too. Ask many successful business owners and entrepreneurs who their influencers are, almost all will describe a mentor.
Discover more about one of our mentors take a look at our interview with Howard Sims of Apadmi
To find out more about our mentoring service in more detail, Enquire and Grow today.