“We become more of what we consume”
At the start of my career, I never went through unstructured mentorship like how most folks are privileged, it was more of a trial and error, and in most cases, I was consciously and subconsciously mentored by the things I consumed (not food) but from the books I read, the communities I was I affiliated to, the workplace environment, the content I was exposed to, any knowledge and experiences I acquired along the way, the podcasts I listen too, the people in my tribe/circle etc. Even though my career turned out great, it was a bumpy and steep learning curve, (giggles) oh yes it was! This article coins experiences and intentional practices that you can take to get value out of mentorship.
There’s no magic answer to your career’s purpose. You simply must decide how you’re going to invest in it and how you will achieve the career you want.
Seeking mentorship is one of the first steps of self awareness.
Mentors are people who are already in the profession or who have walked the journey that you aspire to thrive in. For you to harness the best out of mentorship, you don’t be afraid to be a newbie.
Mentorship is an interesting journey because everyone at whichever stage they are still a WIP (work in progress).
Seek coaching and mentorship
This presents an opportunity for you to give back to the profession by mentoring a new professional. Seeking mentorship and coaching can enable you to grow in your career through new learning experiences and networking opportunities.
So, how do you make sure that you get the most out of mentorship? For a mentorship engagement to be effective, you have to understand that it doesn’t happen by chance, you must have a plan. The plan should be suitable for both the mentor and mentee based on what both of them want to achieve.
The mentee should take the drivers’ seat. I mentor a lot of rising professionals and what I enjoy mostly is a mentee who takes charge of the process by being proactive in doing the assignments I give to them more time
Remember you are the CEO of your career. Take charge
To be continued…
