The Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor
I have had a mentor in
my life since the Air Force introduced me to the concept. I recall that I
could not figure out how someone else selecting my mentor for me, forcing
scheduled appointments on us and requiring that I be able to provide proof of
attendance at those meetings upon request was going to help me personally or
professionally. It did not help at all. In fairness though, it did
not hurt me either. That was a long time ago and coaching and mentoring
has come a long way since then.
I learned a lot about
the mentor/mentee roles as well as the relationship etiquette in meetings. What
I remember most though was how I felt when I realized I was no longer
frustrated, stressed or angry anymore. Things were going better at work
too. These changes did not happen overnight either, But, I knew then and
I know now that having that mentor made the difference for me. I did not
say much and some days I did not say a word. I still do not know how or
why it worked but, I never questioned it. I have had a mentor ever since.
I also kept blind
mentors while I was in the Air Force. When I first entered, I was eager,
ambitious, energetic and ready to soak up everything I could .I wanted to learn
my job and I was getting nothing. It took almost two years, but I was beginning
to behave just like them. As soon as I realized it, I got angry, with
myself. I decided they could catch up with me, I was
not falling to them. I did not have a boss but everyone out ranked me.
None of them stepped up. Long story shortened...I decided to make changes for
myself. One of the things I started, was picking two people. One I admired and
emulated. The other was the person I absolutely did not want to work for.
The one I admired kept
me focused on how and what I should be doing. The other person was the
person above all I wanted to outrank. That
person kept me motivated. The process served me well for over 20 years.
At each new work center, selections were my first order of business.
I am pretty sure none of that was healthy but, it is exactly what I did...I
never worked for the motivators but many of them eventually worked for me...I
never told any of those people of their role in my career. If you
ever doubted that anyone was watching...now you know.
But, I digress. My
relationship with my mentor is just as important to me as ever, but it is
different today. We meet when we can but
once a month is probably our average. Our
meetings now are spent having coffee or breakfast and catching up, but I
welcome the company just the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment