Find A Mentor, Be a Mentor

by Rick Saldan

For the uninitiated, let us first answer the questions: Who is a mentor? Why does one need a mentor or why should one try to be one? Where can one find a mentor?  The answer to these questions would probably open up newer opportunities in your mind as alternate career paths reveal themselves when you go deeper in the subject.

A mentor is someone who is your friend, philosopher and guide in matters related to your career, personal growth and development as well as your personal life. He or she counsels and advises you not only when you are in a crisis situation but also when you are crossroads of life – be it any situation. The person is experienced in matters of life and career and talks with authority. He is dependable and could be with you from the start to the end of your career. The corollary to your understanding could be: What is in it for him? A mentor can gain tremendously in his own life, as he holds the hand of someone who needs his help. We believe that there is no better tool in life which helps you in your personal growth than to be coach to someone. If you look at this opportunity from the mentors' perspective, you not only feel proud of the fact that you are helping someone to reach his own latent potential, but have a great sense of enhanced self-esteem when you see people depend on you for advice and guidance.

A mentor is not a closed human being. He is open to ideas from the people he has taken under his wing and is frank enough to admit his own mistakes without any qualms. A mentor shares his experiences with you not just to boast of his achievements, but to make you understand that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. 

The answer to the question about why does one need a mentor – the answer is rather simple. None of us are capable of handling all the complexities of career as well as personal growth. Instances are not rare when we stand at crossroads of life and ponder about which is the right direction to take for future happiness and prosperity. We wish there was someone who could, from his personal experience, guide and help us to make that critical choice. A mentor fulfills all these needs and more.

But where does find a person with such attributes? Many times, you would have found a mentor without naming him or her as such, as the person advises and counsels you in critical matters concerning your career, etc. It is by chance that you have found a mentor without trying too hard for it! It could be your colleague, superior or even your spouse or best friend. In case you are not as lucky, you could approach us, a professional training institute who could guide you to the right person or a relevant program, where you could find what you are looking for.

Last but never the least important aspect of this discussion is why is it important to become a mentor? Firstly, consider yourself blessed and fortunate to have been endowed with the essential qualities of a mentor: open in communication, persuasive abilities, and adequate experience in a particular skill area as well as in life in general, experience in meeting a wide variety of people and situations both in professional life and more. Would it not be nice to further hone your skills? It is said that whichever profession you are in, there is no end to learning. What better opportunities are there in life, which can help you develop your own knowledge and experience than tutoring and helping others achieve their dreams? Being a successful mentor could mean that you touch people's lives where it matters most. You could bring about a permanent change in peoples' attitudes, remove mental blocks and help him delve deep into his own mind to find solutions to his problems, which he till now believed never existed! This in short is the importance of being a mentor.