In the latest edition of Blaque, we explore in-depth how to choose a mentor and what mentoring really is. Here’s a snippet. Mentorship isn’t a new concept; in fact, significant systems of mentorship include discipleship by elders or teaching by gurus in some religions and apprenticeship under the medieval guild system. A 1995 study of mentoring techniques, Working Wisdom: Timeless Skills and Vanguard Strategies for Learning Organisations, outlines the five most commonly used techniques used by mentors as:

  1. Accompanying: making a commitment in a caring way by taking part in the learning process
  2. Sowing: inputting wisdom even before the mentee is ready for change
  3. Catalyzing: provoking a different way of thinking or re-ordering values at critical stages throughout the process of change
  4. Showing: waling your talk – show the way by going the way
  5. Harvesting: highlighting what has been learned and the progress made on the journey.

A mentor is essentially a trusted and experienced advisor. Everyone needs some kind of guidance in life and when you’re in the business realm, having someone walk alongside you can make all the difference.

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