August 2021 Volume 3

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

The Power of Mentorship By Ashleigh Walters

All companies must build and develop their next generation of leaders if they want to survive, let alone thrive. As company strategies evolve, employee strategy and business strategy must align. The best companies identify gaps in their resources and plan to fill them - not reactively as the need arises – but proactively. Allow your employees to grow within the company by using an internal development process and promoting an open dialogue with them about success, strengths, needs and aspirations. Asking employees to define their goal for the year in one word or finding a photo of their envisioned future works well. Allowing employees to set their own goals creates additional motivation to accomplish the goal. Before you are a leader success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ JackWelch At a very young age, you probably learned how to ride a bicycle. Maybe along the journey of life, you have even taught a child. Imagine the process...first, you balanced the bike so the child can get on. Then, you may have helped hold the handlebars straight while they peddled. At last, the child took off and you were left running behind them doing your best to catch up as they peddled down the sidewalk. You were there the whole time encouraging and ensuring they did not fall and hurt themselves. You performed the role of a mentor and helped the child learn a new skill; one that you already knew how to do. To continue learning and growing, employees need assistance and guidance along the journey. As employees develop, encourage them to find a group of people who will provide inspiration and guidance in pursuit of their goal. This group of people acts as a Personal Board of Directors which include an inspiring influencer, a mentor, a peer, a mentee, and a rock.

In order to help your team with this exercise, how about you give it a try first? Inspiration. Identify someone that you find inspiring. A person that is an influencer in the area you want to grow. An influencer will help you find motivation, inspiration and energy to conquer the task ahead. Lifelong learning. You must have a desire to continue learning throughout your life. Learning keeps you up to date and changing with the times. Find a mentor for yourself who has already been there and done that. You can formally ask this person to be your mentor or you can informally pick their brain. Remember, a mentor is someone who has been where you want to go and has the knowledge you want to gain. Peer pressure. No one knows how you feel better than someone in your same spot in life. If you are a single parent, find another single parent that understands what it is like to work and raise children. If you are just beginning your career, find a peer who understands what it feels like to just start out learning how to be an adult and navigate a new workplace. Giving back. The knowledge you have gained on your life’s journey can serve others is incredibly valuable. Seek out a mentee who is in pursuit of a goal you can help them reach. Guide them along their journey. Do not provide your mentee a roadmap but encourage them to create their own path as you guide them ensuring success. A rock. Life’s journey is a bumpy road. Ensure that you have a rock in your life that will serve as a confidant but also holds you accountable for your actions and decisions.

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2021 48