I was always lucky having bosses in my corporate life who took the time and energy to mentor me. I also sought it out. Even though I never loved the industry in which I worked (telecom), I was still mentored in business strategies, sales, product management, project management, etc. that would later benefit me once I went after my dream job. While launching VocationVacations, I’ve continued to surround myself with some key advisors. It’s critical to the success of the business…and for my own personal and professional growth.
What about you? Is your current boss a mentor for you? If not, can you work with him/her to become a mentor for you? If he/she would not make a good mentor for you, then what are you going to do to get the mentorship you need to enhance your personal and professional growth?
May 17, 2008 at 10:44 pm
hmmm. i’d say that i went into my job a year and a half ago thinking that my boss would be my mentor, and did everything that i could to make that happen, but realized somewhat recently that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.
i think an important element that a lot of people, especially young people just starting out like me, overlook is the fact that having a relationship with a mentor, or someone you look up to, is based on mutual respect. just because that person has been successful doesn’t mean you should blind yourself to the fact that they’re not perfect, that they’ve made mistakes, and that they have a lot of places they need to grow personally and professionally as well.
i was a fan of my current employer long before i started working for him (i work in a creative field and he is an artist), and i think i tried to milk a “mentor” relationship out of my situation, but it just didn’t work out. there was a lot of respect from me to him but not much from him to me, and giving that relationship any value would be a disservice to myself, my skills, and my own personal self-worth. i guess i’m all about seeing “eye-to-eye” while at the same time respecting the accomplishments and success of the person i’m working for. i don’t know if this is the “accepted” way of thinking, but i feel like you’ve got to walk out of every working situation you enter with your head held high and feeling good about yourself. and if you’re not feeling like that’s going to happen, then maybe it’s time to let go of the idea that your boss can be your mentor, and look for something else.
i just cut my hours down a lot at the job in question, and my boss looked me in the eye and told me that if someone new had to come in to my job, he was hoping it would be someone just like me. it was the first time in a year and a half that i felt valued as a person. it felt good but at the same time reaffirmed by decision to leave because it shouldn’t have taken a year and a half to feel that way.
note to employers out there: saying things like that means a lot to the people who work for you, and it’s the way to keep us around and make us WANT to work for you rather than just waiting for you to sign our paycheck. we want to learn from you, we want to get to know you, and the more we know that we’re appreciated, the better we’ll perform and dedicate ourselves to your goals and missions.