Mentoring in the UK can sometimes be seen as a British predicament. It’s thought that the UK aren’t very good at utilising our resources when it comes to mentoring and there are few who know why. Maybe it’s because we Brits are inclined to feel like we would be imposing on someone when asking them to mentor us, or maybe it’s due to people not realising the resources and potential that exists when mentoring is involved.
Mentoring in business is vital as it shows integrity and compassion as well bravery and determination. You’ll also most likely learn a thing or two. People often by-pass the idea of mentoring or finding a mentor but later regret it. Rekha Mehr, founder and owner of Pistachio Rose, a London-based business creating high end Anglo-Indian cakes and sweets says she wishes she’d found a mentor at an earlier stage in her business journey, “My reluctance to pay for a service that I felt I should have been able to cope without left me disadvantaged.”
Mentoring and being mentored has many benefits, both for mentor and mentee. There’s so much opportunity for both experienced and inexperienced mentors and business owners to develop side-by-side with one another over the course of the mentoring relationship, building both business networks and business knowledge.
Mentoring can help improve confidence, help manage stress, it can help you overcome a setback or a difficult colleague. It can even help you to get a promotion or can inspire you into new and creative ideas. It could help you with the basic things like a job application or suggesting a new career path or it could enhance your skills such as creating an efficient work/life balance or planning skills; the possibilities are endless.
Here at the IOEE, we can offer you an entire archive of mentors to help you and your business grow. Or, if you own a business or are an established entrepreneur, we can help you become a mentor and experience the benefits of mentoring and collaborative learning.
Find out more here: www.ioee.uk/join