Why have a mentor? This is a question I find myself often answering. For some reason, the idea of having a “Mentor” is one that many people have difficulty wrapping their head around. For me it has become part of my vocabulary. I feel VERY fortunate to have not just one mentor, but a few.
This is why I felt compelled to write about three of the benefits of having a mentor. If more people invested the time and money into mentorship, then maybe there would be less struggle and more success in the world…
In this article I want to specifically discuss three benefits to having a mentor. For the purpose of this article, I will be speaking specifically about a business mentor or coach but you will see that the benefits really are universal.
Leverage
It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of leverage. In this instance, I am referring to leveraging your mentors knowledge and experience. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of running a business and loose track of what’s important, simply because you don’t know any better. By hiring a mentor, you can leverage their knowledge and experience which will help to keep you on track and focused on the things that matter.
Another aspect of this kind of leverage, is that when you make the jump and hire a mentor, you generally are instantly plugged into their network. That’s right, if you have chosen your mentor wisely, you have the opportunity to leverage not only your mentors knowledge, but THEIR mentor and circle of influence.
Shorten Your Learning Curve And Speed Up Your Success
The second aspect of why you should choose to have a mentor is that it has the potential to shorten your learning curve and speed up your success. As I mentioned above, we often get caught up in minutia and get stuck spinning our tires without the rubber ever meeting the road. A good mentor will refocus you onto what works and spare you from “reinventing the wheel” syndrome.
The reality is that there is a lot of trial and error when it comes to business. Having a mentor who advises you will shorten your learning curve and possibly speed up your success. In effect, you are working from their knowledge and experience and are far less likely to waste time and energy on unimportant tasks.
Guidance – Like The Usher At The Theatre
I have heard it said that a good mentor is like the usher at a theatre. Meaning that when you are stuck and not sure how to proceed, your mentor is there to point you in the right direction. Just like the usher at the theatre who’s job is to shine the flashlight in the general direction, so is a mentor’s job. It’s not the job of the mentor to do the work for you, they have already done it, but if you choose your mentor wisely, they will be able to guide you in the right direction.
Having someone to guide you is essential to maintaining forward momentum in your business. All to often we are not able to see the solution and get stuck in a holding pattern. A good mentor will always be there to guide you in the right direction.
Essentially, having a well chosen mentor will help you to focus your attention on the things that matter. This allows you to waste far less time, energy and will power on things that are unimportant. Staying laser focused is essential to any success.
Megan Baerg has spent the better part of the last decade as a ROGUE Entrepreneur simply because she didn’t know any better. Having seen the light, she has now moved from being a rogue entrepreneur to a “guided” or “mentored” entrepreneur. Megan truly believes that all success stories have a mentor.
For more information on mentorship and how you can get your own mentor, click the link below and register for a free webinar. This webinar discusses 3 laws of success that can hold you back and offers you a solution to get the momentum back in your business.