05.26.17
Do You Have What It Takes To Be Mentored?
By: Sandra R. Wharton, Director, Women’s Economic Opportunity Center (WEOC)
Mentors keep us honest and empower us to trek forward on our entrepreneurial journeys. That forward movement often means encountering challenges and working through them. A great deal of the struggles women experience in the business world doesn’t necessarily come from their external environments, but rather from within. Call it saboteurs—those voices in our heads that evoke doubt and tell us we’re not good enough, smart enough, etc. to succeed.
Men, on the other hand tend to feel smug unless someone gives them a reason to feel otherwise. They aren’t as likely to seek validation. That’s why a good mentor can make all the difference in a woman’s trajectory. The first step in ensuring a good mentoring relationship is to look inward. Here are a few ways to do that:
• Be true to yourself. Understand what you want out of life. Define what that is and strike a balance between work and play. It is possible to do it all if you put your mind to it. That calls for setting and maintain boundaries in your personal and professional life.
• Take control of your career. You are responsible for your own professional growth. Nothing great happens in your comfort zone, after all. Seek stretch assignments and work with people who challenge you to be better. Cultivate relationships that can help you achieve your goals.
• Learn to lead. Take professional development courses. Never lose your appetite for knowledge. Those who are coachable are attractive to mentors.
Great things can happen when you lay down the foundation for a solid mentoring relationship. We at The NIIC are committed to advancing the cause of female entrepreneurs, whose voices are often muted in the business world. To that end, the Women’s Economic Opportunity Center provides timely and comprehensive guidance to women at all stages of idea development and business ventures.
Tap into the power of one-on-one business building coaching with me and members of The NIIC team. Contact us today to get started. https://niic.net/lets-talk/
