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I learned from my co-workers, my friends, my boss, my teachers, my therapists, bloggers, my haters, my role models, and now from my children.
Photo by Microsoft 365 on Unsplash
Who is a mentor?
Is He/She the one who supports your Career Development?
No!
Mentoring is about people and hence it is helping and guiding someone to support their personal development. Someone who helps you ‘own the confidence piece’ that translates beyond jobs.
While a mentor can help you build a significant career, it negates making you successful. I know many women who have reached heights of success without any mentors. I have never had any formal mentor myself. I had many mentors in my journey, in the form of kind and generous people who helped me take the next step. I learned from my co-workers, my friends, my boss, my teachers, my therapists, bloggers, my haters, my role models, and now from my children.
I managed to relax the definition of mentorship and included people I interacted with every day. This helped me include miles of the breadth of skill sets and knowledge, though sometimes just an inch deep. This aided in propelling my career in more varied directions than just one.
I do not believe that any one single person holds your key to success. When you follow a mentor, there are chances of losing your creativity and paving your path. You might end up getting wrapped in following their journey. If the mentor is a male and the relationship does not evolve then it becomes more of mansplaining than mentorship. If the mentor is a female then you sometimes are seen as a threat and their intent gets affected.
Instead, keep your motivation ignited and be your one and only mentor! As a woman, own your inbuilt mighty three C’s – Conviction, Courage, and Commitment. Use these tools to build confidence and take control of life.
Pick up role models who you admire for their knowledge, careers, or skills. Learn from their experiences, maybe in a smaller way, but something that is pragmatic, measurable, and achievable.
If you want to learn something new, search for free online courses and pursue them. Read books or articles based on your needs.
Some of my mentors who I have never met are – authors, bloggers, and podcasters. I never spoke to them but their words remained marked in my mind.
I have learned a lot from the people who I worked with, they helped me guide my career. Spending hours with them resulted in learning a lot from them.
Build your network and gain one-to-one connections by attending networking events and conferences and community affairs.
To protect yourself from relapse, consistently keep taking self-inventory. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, your behavior pattern, an insight into where you are advancing and whether you are heading with positivity, and if any change is required.
Eventually, mentors might be playing important roles in the success of certain people but what matters more for women – are sponsors. Solid sponsors who are in positions of power and influence, who can advocate and create opportunities, and promote you actively.
Most women fail to thrive and tumble at the last step of their careers due to a lack of funds, a lack of a proper business plan, and a lack of a man who steps up for real help and not just who only gives advice. They have no one to endorse their achievements and accomplishments, and no one who can boost them and increase their visibility to important people. Society needs such sponsors for women, which is a major lack.
So ladies, let us start believing that the power is within us, and let us unleash our potential.
Let’s all Own the Confidence Piece and be our own Mentors.
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