MY MENTORSHIP DECISION

My mentorship decision was one of the simplest career decisions I have made in recent years. I have always desired to have a mentor that would guide me to improve in my personal and career development. Thank you, LBS for the opportunity to choose from a pool of over 400 past Executives. How easy was my mentorship decision when making a choice from over 400 top dogs? I had over 150 CEOs and Chairmen, 50-Executive Directors, and many HR and global leaders career coaches to choose from. The choice of a finance expert from the list of CFOs or one of the investment directors was also captivating. Gratefully, I had a clear understanding of what I needed, a personal and career development. I wanted to be a better version of myself, and I could work with another mentor next year. My mentorship decision was a professional career coach.

Why A Career Mentor?

My mentor is a certified professional career coach, a talent manager, an international speaker, and a future work leader. I believe in personal capacity development, and I have identified the need for a mentor to provide support and guidance. It was never difficult for me to make a choice because I had self-identified my gaps.  I knew I needed a mentor to build more competencies and thrive in the ever-changing world of work. Recently, I made a conscious effort to write one expert in leadership and career coaching for his service. Opting for a mentor to focus on my personal growth and build a rewarding career was not a coincidence. Surely, I need to learn and network with the top-dogs: CEOs, COOs, and HR directors working with Fortune 500 companies. The learning and networking with these great minds would follow my current mentor-mentee relationship in personal development.

The Responsibility of Mentor in Mentor-Mentee Relationship

It is important to make the right choice in selecting a mentor. This mentorship decision should be made after a careful self-evaluation of one’s goals and objectives. A mentor would support the mentee by sharing knowledge, experience, and contributing to the developmental goals of the mentee. The mentor would provide timely, supportive, and constructive feedback; identify areas of weakness and where progress has been made. Additionally, the mentor provides the mentee with information about opportunities he/she should explore. Also, nurture positive characters by helping to develop not just talent, but a wealth of mental and ethical traits. He or she serves as a trusted advisor, counselor, and professional role model, helping the mentee become an effective leader. The mentor engages the mentee and encourages them during dilemmas, problems, or challenges. I am confident that my decision to focus on my personal and career development is the right decision, currently.

The Responsibility of Mentee in Mentor-Mentee Relationship

The mentee has the responsibility to set realistic objectives to achieve, and create an agenda for each mentor meeting. It is most likely that an egocentric individual would have challenges accepting the mentor’s advice and feedback without being defensive. If you cannot accept constructive feedback about personal and business skills, you do not need a mentor. A mentor sacrifices his or her time to engage with you, show appreciation for every form of assistance received. Respect the time of the mentor by being prompt to every session. If the agreed time must change for any emergent situation, notify the mentor day(s) ahead of the session. It is important to continuously review set goals, evaluate progress and decide action points. I am grateful to my mentor for agreeing to provide support on my quest to be a more productive leader.

Joshua Adeyemi (EMBA27)