Being mentored is a great way to take the next step in your career. Having someone with more experience provide guidance to you is invaluable.
It’s important to keep in mind that a mentor won’t do the work for you. Far from it. A mentor will help push you to be the best you can be by both listening and guiding. These are our top 3 reasons why being mentored is so important.
1) Renewed motivation in career progression
We get it. Sometimes work can become stale and thoughts on progression are a distant memory. A mentor can help reignite and direct a mentee, steering them back on track towards achieving their goals. Sometimes an outside perspective is all you need for motivation. An experienced outside perspective however can be the difference that helps drive the motivation in the right direction.
2) Networking opportunities
Having the skills and experience is half the battle. Who you know and who they know gives you a whole new world of people to connect with and learn from. Continuing to push yourself and keep learning from as many different sources as possible helps round you as an individual and positively impacts your entire life.
3) Guidance in identifying career goals and plotting the best course in achieving them
When starting a career, it is normal not knowing your career goals or have a 5-year plan mapped out. Having a mentor you trust can help you find your path forward much easier than navigating it alone. Their experience can be used to find a more direct route than trying to find a path on your own.
We recently caught up with Steve Kouloumendas, General Manager here at Anywise, about his experiences in both mentoring and being mentored. Steve is a member of the AIPM Project Management Mentoring program, using his experience in engineering and project management to help teach the next generation what he has learnt. No stranger to mentoring others, this is the second consecutive year that Steve has taken part in the AIPM Mentoring program while also informally mentoring colleagues and others throughout his career.
Steve has this to share about his experiences being mentored, “my first mentor was my first boss. A fierce professional and executive with a plethora of experience across project management and leadership roles. My first mentor helped me define my career goals and my passion for helping others.”
The advice available from those within your network is invaluable. Advice that has helped Steve shape his career is this:
“Always think about how you can solve problems for others, be it your boss or your customers. Never present someone with a problem unless you have a proposed solution. This has shaped the way I think professionally, and I have imparted that advice to many others along the way.”
Whether you’re considering being a mentor or taking one on, Steve shared that it is a great experience no matter how you approach it. “[It’s an] opportunity to meet new people and help pass on your knowledge and experience. I enjoy helping people formulate their goals, providing feedback and giving back to the next generation of project management professionals.”
“The AIPM program provides a good opportunity to connect professionals from different industries that are facing common challenges. I find personal reward and enjoyment in helping others talk through and solve problems. This may be very specific, tactical project advice on situations, or more strategic career advice on seeking opportunities to grow skills and experience.”
“The most rewarding part for me is seeing people achieve their goals. Last year, I helped my mentee navigate an important juncture in their career and helped them transition into a Senior Project Management role in a large project delivery organisation.”
When choosing a mentor keep in mind that they don’t need to be someone in your workplace, or even the same industry as you. What’s most important is they are someone aspirational to you. Sometimes simply observing your mentor - even if they aren’t formally aware that they are a mentor to you - and taking note of how they carry out their work, can be an option for shy mentees.
Anywise are firm believers in career development and self-paced growth. The sky is the limit for us all. With the right nurturing and self-motivation anyone can become anything they want to be.
Interested in a career at Anywise? We are growing and always looking for motivated people who are passionate and enjoy collaborating. Learn more here.