Mentor A Worthy Option

Does the CEO of the company have all the answers? There is a way to get to know the right answers and avoid costly mistakes.

Mentoring is a relationship between two people in which one of them offers advice and guidance to help the other develop in a particular area. 

This has been followed for centuries in art, music, sports etc., History has shown how traditionally even kings have sat at the feet of a master, their mentor, to learn from.  

Even the best sports stars invariably have a trainer, an individual who looks after not only their physical fitness but also their mental preparedness. The trainer or coach plays a crucial role in providing focus, direction and perspective to the sports star and helps him reach his goals. 

In business too this concept of a mentor  is used,however most of the time it is informal and done adhoc without proper selection and understanding.

 Small and medium enterprises look to their close circle of friends, auditors and business associates for advise and rarely look for  professional counsel who would be faithful and committed  to the advise. Not that the advise of the above mentioned individuals is not useful, but the process would be more serious and professional if the main task of the mentor is to “mentor”.

NEED for a Mentor: There is a definite need for a mentor and in today’s context it would be worthwhile signing a contract with a professional for this purpose.

Typically as the owners of business or CEOs, one has to take many decisions that may require a second opinion or a word of caution/ concurrence and it is very common that for want of such opinion, decisions are delayed or even postponed and even wrong decisions taken. Is it a surprise if things go wrong? One might call it bad luck, but  it is more because the decision making process was incomplete.

I have come across many cases where businessmen have failed due to lack of right advise at the right time, simply because they did not ask anybody with a professional background or experience   relevant to the particular problem. Many times a general logical approach will not give the right solution and a mentor committed professionally would make sure his advise is good in his self interest at least.

Of late, it is realised and appreciated that business is changing rapidly and  information is not obtained on time. Information of the developments in the business environment like competition, alternate technology/ products etc. are crucial.

Mentoring (by an outsider) can be seen as one way of helping managers to view the wider context of change in which their businesses are operating and the mentor could be expected to be well informed to advise on matters, which may be ignored in the normal course.

It is not enough to go to conferences and seminars (which had previously been the main channel for development and learning).  Managers needed to chew the cud with someone they can respect and trust.  These individuals do not have to be brilliant managers themselves, any more than tennis star’s coach needs to be a brilliant tennis player.  But they do need to have reached a certain level of knowledge and skill in order to have a proper appreciation of the technical and psychological issues facing the person for whom they were acting as mentor.

Many businessmen and CEOs accept that it is lonely at the top. A mentor from outside can help set issues in a wider context and discuss about them in a disinterested, non-confrontational way.

A professional mentor within a short period should be able to understand the needs, emotions, skill sets, set backs and adviseaccordingly. A mentor should be very objective, non-emotional, very well informed and above all be honest in expression. He should be able to put across the ideas and solutions in a positive manner even if a suggestion is likely to be rejected. A mentor should have no ego except to the extent of retaining his integrity and confidence.  Though all these qualities sound very ideal, in today’s environment it is not difficult to find, if one has patience, willingness and also the mind to pay for the right person.

HOW TO SELECT A MENTOR: A mentor need not be the advisor in all the issues and one can have more than one depending on the situation and the problem on hand.

Mentoring does not just happen. One must like the menotor’s problem solving style. The Chemistry should be right. The only way to know of this is from others who have used the mentor, and by the first few experiences.

The following could help identify a good advisor:

l A professional qualified to express opinion on the subject in focus and who gives enough thought to your specific situation before giving advise is a choice.

2 A professional who has experience in similar circumstances with suitable references is a choice.

3 A professional who shows involvement in identifying solutions to the situations  could prove to be a choice. i.e. a person who puts his mind and heart to the situation since the relationship, apart from being professional also binds both the parties to common emotions.

As any association takes time to develop and mature, and the same is true for the mentoring process.

A good mentor could help business remain in good health and make life easier and enjoyable.

(The author Murali is from DoMore Financials & Consulting (P) Ltd., which provides mentoring services to entrepreneurs. For feedback send mail to domore@businessgyan.com his contact information is in page)

Issue BG19 Oct02