The Value of Mentorship
Posted by Joe on Saturday, March 1, 2014 Under: Professional Development
I have been fortunate to have some excellent mentors over the course of my career.
Here are some of the pieces of advice they have given me in recent years:
Here are some of the pieces of advice they have given me in recent years:
- Keep your knees bent (skiing analogy to be prepared for change). (MW)
- When considering your next opportunity, remember to weigh the intangibles. (KG)
- Join an organization where you know what you do well will make a big impact. (KG)
- Don't jump into your next career. Take some time to reflect and make a sound decision. (DW)
- Take a trip or other break that you would not get to otherwise take between jobs. (DW)
- Why should you work to fulfill someone else's dreams when you could be fulfilling your own? (GB)
- You can do it! Do your own thing (company)! It will be the most fulfilling thing you have ever done! (GC)
- If you go work for a giant company, you will die a little inside, and so will I. (JD)
- No matter what happens, win or lose, this will be the most fun you ever have working (about starting your own business). (JH)
This advice has been invaluable, but I have also been fortunate to receive great advice from others JR, JC, CG, JH, and many others.
I have also been in a position to help mostly young people (and some peers) navigate their careers. It is extremely rewarding to see those you have guided, excel in their chosen professions.
Now that AgencySparks is in full swing, it has been more of a challenge for me to find time to devote to coffees and lunch with those asking for my advice/help. I completely understand why folks like Jeff Hilimire have implemented requirements (in this case altruistic) from those who are asking for his time.
Here some examples of the recent conversations where a protege was seeking my advice/help:
- 22 year old college grad looking for 1st job
- 25 year old social media marketer looking for career fulfillment/guidance
- 4th grader looking to improve reading (my 4th year doing this)
- Junior high school kids looking to learn entrepreneurship
- 42 year old radio DJ making the transition into marketing
- 35 year old social good entrepreneur
- 3 teams of 21-22 year olds at UGA looking to improve their digital marketing skills
- 47 year old direct marketer looking to new opportunity
- 29 year old recruiter looking to break into marketing
I love spending time helping young people think through their career path. I will continue to do so, but I need to figure out a way to help them, while fulfilling the heavy time commitments of running a new company.
Best,
Joe
Tags: mentorship mentor mentour
comments powered by Disqus
