Categories
Mentoring

How To Find and Use Female Mentors for Your Business

Introduction

To run a successful small business, along with adequately protecting your business with small-business insurance, it helps to learn from another successful business owner. Finding a mentor sympathetic to women business owners’ particular difficulties can be challenging. Finding a mentor is essential for women who are prepared to expand their ventures and take the entrepreneurial world by storm.

Why do you need a mentor in business?

A female mentor in business can be helpful in many ways. To begin, a thriving female business owner can be an inspiring example. Seeing and celebrating successful women business owners is crucial because it is difficult to get what is not visible. When it comes to business connections and management, a female mentor can be an invaluable resource.

It’s different for men or women, no matter how successful they are. While males running their businesses might not have to worry about being viewed seriously by potential employees, this could be a significant problem for women in business. 

In addition to being an excellent resource for building your network, a female mentor can be beneficial. Creating new business connections is one of the main goals of networking. Connecting with a female business mentor can help you meet other successful women in the company and build your network.

Consider your goals for the mentorship experience.

What benefits do you anticipate from a mentoring relationship? This question should be answered before you approach a potential female mentor. There are two main ways in which this method can be helpful. To begin, it facilitates your search for an ideal female role model. Second, once the connection is made, it can formulate a strategy. 

What you want to gain from a mentoring partnership with a successful woman in business may ultimately depend on you, your company, and your unique life circumstances. Some ladies might wish to become experts in a particular field. However, many might benefit from hearing strategies for juggling the responsibilities of parenthood, marriage, and business ownership.

Looking for the One

The next step is to compile a list of potential role models who are women in business. You may have someone in mind already, which would make this process much more manageable. If you are at a loss where to begin, look up ladies who work in your field.

For example, if you run an online retail business, you should seek a partner in the same industry. Your perfect job path might also be planned out. What are your long-term objectives for the company? One option is to open a physical storefront, while another is to develop a franchise system. Find a successful businesswoman who can mentor you while you work toward your next objective. That way, she’ll be able to help you and offer advice from personal experience.

Connecting

Once you’ve settled on one or two suitable mentors, you can begin communicating with them. In some situations, women already know and respect the people they would like to have as mentors in their lives. 

You don’t have to know her beforehand for her to be an excellent mentor, though. Some mentors and mentees even live in separate cities, so they rely on email and phone calls as their primary means of contact. When beginning a new friendship or connection, honesty goes a long way.

Justify your admiration and interest in learning from the female business owner by telling her so. Many female experts are pleased to pass on their knowledge to others. A few thoughtful praises are appropriate; nevertheless, you should avoid being overly effusive. Maintaining decorum and setting the tone for a professional, businesslike partnership is crucial.

Keep the connection alive

Failure to follow through after initiating contact is a significant barrier for women seeking business mentorship from other women. Don’t approach a successful businesswoman and casually ask if she will mentor you. Maintain your connection by staying in touch consistently after the initial contact. Therefore, the mentor’s role is simplified.

Since successful businesswomen are typically busy, daily phone calls are probably not in the cards. You should, however, write an email, send a text message, or leave a voicemail to ask detailed inquiries. Instead of being vague, a straightforward request will enable the professional ladies you’re talking to understand what you’re looking for. Keep going if your first few requests are ignored. Instead of bothering your mentor with inquiries, update them on your accomplishments and growth.

Female entrepreneurs who give back to the community

Many women in business find that having female mentors is helpful for their development. Fewer women, however, than males consider taking on the mentor role. Share your newfound knowledge with other women to continue the upward spiral of empowerment. Women who have recently started their enterprises can still assist other women in doing the same. 

Helping a young woman find a mentor also encourages her to think outside the traditional job paths. Having a successful businessperson as a mentor is an excellent method to gain insight into running a company and thriving in a challenging industry. A female business mentor may be an excellent resource for knowledge, support, and encouragement as a woman entrepreneur.

How to Find a Female Mentor

Women serving as role models would help many people succeed in the workplace. Finding a mentor might be difficult because many people need help knowing where to start.

Start with Shared Activities

Sharing common interests is a great way to ease into a mentoring relationship. Employees may reflect on the hobbies and interests they now pursue or would like to develop. Be a part of a thriving alumni community. Participate in a community service project. Have some post-work pickleball fun? True crime shows, huh? If you and your partner share a hobby, that’s a great place to start getting to know each other.

Utilize Your Networks in the Workplace

There are now more opportunities than ever for professionals to network and share knowledge online. Interest groups on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites are just as functional as online networking platforms like LinkedIn for facilitating professional interactions. Making a cold call to a stranger who is also a professional can be intimidating. 

Making that initial connection through a social media group is a significant first step toward a smoother introduction. A female sommelier, for instance, might find like-minded professionals through an Instagram sessions group.

Ask

The first step in selecting a mentor is identifying a woman in the workplace whose competence and knowledge the employee admires, whose professional style the employee aspires to adopt, or who possesses excellent character attributes. The worker should then approach the woman and ask her to mentor them.

Use Female Mentors for Your Business

1. Boost your self-assurance 

Nearly two-thirds of males believe they can create firms, according to the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor U.S. Report; however, fewer than half of women share this belief. Despite having similar training and expertise, this is the case. Encouragement from a mentor can help you overcome your fears. 

They instill assurance by providing direction when you launch your small business. They can also assist you in distinguishing between reasonable concerns and groundless worries, so you can devote more energy to avoiding frequent pitfalls encountered by startups.

2. Give you funding guidance

The numbers showing how much women dislike asking for financial help are astounding. One study found that women are more inclined to wait until they have saved up some money before asking for financial assistance. 

This makes it difficult for women to start and grow successful businesses, as just 19% of angel funding and 6% of venture capital go to female entrepreneurs. If you need financial assistance, a mentor can advise you on approaching potential funders and even urge you to do so.

3. Expand your network

As a result, women are at a significant disadvantage in the workplace since they have fewer contacts and resources than men. Entrepreneurs with extensive and varied networks are shown to be more successful. 

In addition, women are more likely to turn to close loved ones for guidance, such as their husbands and sisters, while males are more likely to consult their social and professional circles. If you’re looking to build your professional network and obtain introductions to other key players in your industry, a mentor may be able to help you do just that.

Benefits of a Female Mentor

Leaders, in today’s fast-paced, always-evolving professional landscape, must develop the ability to stay calm under pressure. Through their professional experiences, mentors know what qualities their mentees should cultivate to become influential leaders. 

Character qualities, like abilities, affect an individual’s behaviour, such as their willingness to lie, to make a tough decision, to apologize to a colleague, to make up for past mistakes, and so on. In contrast to talents, character traits originate intrinsically in a person and serve as a guide for how that person will behave when under stress.

Conclusion

The practice of women mentoring women is crucial because it gives the latter more excellent agency and self-assurance in a traditionally male-dominated workplace. Having more women in positions of power boosts an organization’s ability to adapt to new circumstances and improves the quality of decisions made.

Categories
Mentoring

Drag Queen Mentorship: 8 Tips to Help You Succeed

Navigating the professional world as a young adult can be daunting. We can experience a lot of uncertainty, doubt, and difficulty in building meaningful relationships with mentors and peers. Fortunately, there is a great source of knowledge and advice that we can learn from: drag queens. As an art form, drag has been around for centuries, with performers demonstrating a great deal of wisdom and advice that can be applied in the world of business and networking. In this blog post, I will provide an overview of the four key lessons about mentoring and networking that I have learned from drag queens. From the importance of developing strong relationships with mentors to the importance of embracing creativity and authenticity, these lessons will provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the craft of networking and mentorship. Additionally, these lessons can be applied to many aspects of our lives and can help us to become better professionals and more successful people.

1. The importance of having a support system

One of the most important lessons I learned from drag queens is the importance of having a support system. Drag queens are often part of a supportive community that provides resources, mentorship, and emotional support. This is invaluable in helping them develop the resilience and confidence needed to be successful in their art. Having a supportive network of peers, mentors, and friends is essential for any creative endeavor. It can help to provide guidance, motivation, and resources when needed, which can in turn lead to better outcomes.

2. How to be your true self

As drag queens, they are not afraid to be their true selves, no matter how much it might surprise or shock people. This type of self confidence and self assurance is something I want to embody, and something I always strive for. By mentorship and network­ing with drag queens, I’ve been able to become more open and truthful about who I am, and I’ve been able to pursue the things I want without fear.

3. The power of vulnerability

Realizing the power of vulnerability is another key aspect I learned from drag queens. Being vulnerable requires you to open up and share your experiences, your dreams, and your struggles. This can often be a scary prospect, as it means being vulnerable in front of someone else and risking being judged or feeling embarrassed. However, once you take that risk, you open yourself up to closer connection. Drag queens know this well, as they have to be vulnerable in order to reveal their true selves. Through this vulnerability, they are able to build stronger relationships, mentor and network with their peers, and ultimately find success in their artistic endeavors.

4. How to create a safe space for others

Creating a safe space for others is essential for successful mentoring and networking. In the drag community, a safe space is more than just a physical area where people can feel comfortable; it’s an environment that is supportive and accepting of all identities and backgrounds. As a mentor or networker, you should strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and respected, regardless of their age, gender, race, or sexual orientation. Offer guidance and advice in a way that doesn’t come off as preachy or judgmental. Also, ask before giving unsolicited advice, as different people may have different needs. Finally, make sure to listen actively and respond supportively. This will help others feel heard and respected.

5. The importance of maintaining relationships

The last thing I learned from drag queens was the value of keeping relationships going. Although it can be easy to make connections with people in the moment and not follow up on them, it’s important to keep in touch with people you meet and keep nurturing those relationships. Drag queens are experts at this, and they understand that the people they meet in their line of work can be invaluable resources for the future. If you want to make the most out of your relationships, always remember to prioritize maintaining them.

6. The impact of strong communication skills

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from drag queens is the importance of clear and confident communication. Drag queens know how to command an audience’s attention and they understand the importance of being able to communicate clearly and effectively. Strong communication skills are essential in any field, especially in any kind of professional setting. Drag queens have mastered the art of communicating their message and making sure that their audience is paying attention and understanding what they are saying. Being able to effectively convey your message is essential in any kind of mentoring or networking situation and is something that drag queens have mastered.

7. The importance of being bold and taking risks

Drag queens are no strangers to taking risks. Their career requires them to be bold and unafraid of failure and rejection. That’s why one of the biggest lessons I learned from them is the importance of being bold and taking risks. As drag diva RuPaul puts it, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” It’s important to take risks if you want to achieve anything worthwhile. Confidence helps you overcome fear. This could mean anything from asking for a promotion to trying out a new career or even changing your style. Taking risks is scary, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.

8. The importance of setting boundaries

Setting boundaries is an important lesson for anyone who wants to be successful at anything. Drag queens are constantly engaging with people in the community, and this can be overwhelming if you don’t set boundaries for yourself. Drag queens understand that their time, energy, and resources are limited, so they make sure to protect themselves by setting boundaries. They know when to say “no” and when to take a break. This is a lesson that I’ve applied to my own mentoring and networking practices as well. Knowing when to say “no” and taking time to rest and recharge has helped me to be more focused and resilient in my work.

I have learned an incredible amount about mentoring and networking from drag queens. I have learned to be confident and unafraid to take risks, to be authentic and honest with my intentions, to be generous with my time and resources, and to be supportive of others. These lessons are invaluable and I will take them with me into all of my future relationships.

Categories
Mentoring

Mentor Personalities: A Quick Guide

Mentor personalities combine intuition, insight, life experience, and the capacity to counsel and inspire others. Mentoring is multifaceted. An underlying with more experience mentors an older worker in a new field. A mentor can provide you with the knowledge and motivation to change your life. 

In this article, we’ll explore four types of mentoring personalities we commonly find in the business world. 

The Visionary 

It’s easy to identify leaders with vision. The ones that are the most confident and charismatic tend to be the ones who stand out the most, both physically and audibly. Most people would think of the CEOs of multinational corporations when asked to name three visionary leaders in under ten seconds.

Leadership traits of a visionary guide

1. Imagination

A leader with a vision is characterized by a childish imagination that allows them to contemplate possibilities others overlook. Some creative ideas that turn out to be tremendously successful are adventurous and playful because of this richness of creativity.

2. Inspiration

As well as being able to see what’s to come, visionary leaders have a knack for getting their points across to others. Their sincerity and conviction resonate with listeners, inspiring them to share their feelings and beliefs. 

3. A willingness to engage with others and be adaptable.

Ultimately, a visionary will excuse almost any tactics so long as they bring them closer to their eventual goal. Such leaders typically understand what it will take to make their dreams a reality, but they are open to different approaches to getting there.

Examples of notable visionary mentors

Brilliant minds that anticipate consumer needs and produce groundbreaking goods are prime examples of CEOs with vision. Richard Branson, Reed Hastings, and Steve Jobs are a few of this group’s notable names. A wide range of characteristics, each present at varying levels in influential leaders with a vision, characterize those who do great things.

How to effectively work with a visionary mentor?

There are numerous positive practices that visionary leaders demonstrate. They recognize its power to unite the group behind a common goal. Before beginning a project, they carefully consider every aspect, from procedures to personnel needs.

Strategist

One who creates and implements strategy is called a strategist. Generally, a process entails three steps:

  • Identifying objectives.
  • Deciding on a course of action.
  • Organizing and allocating resources to carry out the plan.

A strategy explains how desired results can be attained through planned actions.

The Traits of Successful Mentors in Strategy:

1. They are a good listener

A mentor who is also a strategist needs to be patient and open to the employee’s inquiries and concerns as they pertain to the job. Specifically, it entails being receptive to the employee’s worries and grasping the scope of the problem at hand.

2. They give constructive feedback

A new hire still learning the ropes of the company’s internal workings would benefit from having a strategic mentor to help them avoid common pitfalls. Providing constructive criticism is essential to training new employees, but only if the mentor can convey the message in a way that doesn’t make the employee feel attacked.

3. They make an effort to get to know the mentee on a deeper level.

A mentor’s duty as a strategic thinker is to show genuine concern for their guiding individual. To do so necessitates getting to know an individual on a deeper level than is typical in the workplace.

Examples of notable strategist mentors:

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group and one of the world’s most successful business people, has been vocal about his value in having a mentor. Sir Freddie Laker, his primary mentor, helped Branson and his airline succeed in its early years.

How to collaborate efficiently with an experienced strategist?

One of the most common ways of mentoring is pairing a skilled worker with a newer one, and this practice has persisted because it is effective. A well-thought-out plan is crucial for any mentoring initiative to bear fruit.

The Connector

When it comes to centralized resources for mentoring programmes, there is nothing like a Connector mentor. The Mentoring Connector is a free tool that helps outstanding youth mentoring programmes across the country find more local volunteers while dramatically improving the awareness of their organizations.

Mentoring’s Connector Roles and Traits:

1. Prompted by consumer need

Managers in the connector industry understand the need to train their employees in the skills they’ll need in the future and the ones they need now. It demands a deep understanding of the organization’s strategic direction and functioning environment.

2. One must be conscious of oneself.

Connector managers, though, know that they need help to have all the solutions. They understand when other teams or organization members are more suited to offer assistance, and they prioritize putting their staff in touch with those individuals when needed.

3. Able to formulate pertinent inquiries

Curiosity and good questioning skills are among the main attributes of a connector manager. They are skilled at getting to the base of what is troubling employees so that they can assess what kind of support and growth will be most helpful.

Examples of notable connection mentors:

Connector mentors include Christian Dior for Yves Saint-Laurent, Steve Jobs for Mark Zuckerberg, Maya Angelou for Oprah Winfrey, and Father Michael van der Peet for Mother Teresa.

The Coach

Coach-Mentors are dynamic and confident professionals with cheerful attitudes. They are pleasant and good at getting other people excited and motivated. Coach-Mentors focus on results and provide assistance where it is most needed.

Characteristics of the coach mentor

1. They find personal satisfaction in seeing others succeed.

The success of the individual they are coaching or mentoring is more important to them than their own. They find immense satisfaction when the person they invest in rises above them and achieves even more remarkable achievements and significance than they have.

2. They have a genuine concern for the person they are shaping.

Care from a mentor or coach should not be judged or required, but without it, the process rarely has a life-altering impact.

3. They are known for their skill or proficiency in a particular area.

The people who play the roles of coaches and mentors excel in certain areas. Most importantly, they both have the self-discipline and desire to pay the price necessary to succeed.

Mentors and coaches of note

Examples of renowned coach mentors are Esther Perel, Rich Litvin, Steve Chandler, Bob Proctor and Michael Neill.

How to properly work with a coach mentor?

Give a quick summary of the mentor-coaching process. Initiate a shared journaling experience by inquiring whether your mentee is interested. Reinforce that your communications are confidential.

Finding the Right Mentor

Characteristics to Look For

  • A great mentor listens attentively and is genuinely interested in seeing you succeed.
  • If you want a productive relationship with your mentor, it’s essential to find someone who treats you with dignity, gives you direct feedback and is an authority in your industry.
  • A supportive mentor will encourage you and offer constructive feedback as you work toward your goals.

Tips for being a successful mentee

  • Clarify both of your expectations: If a corporation or organization matched you, don’t assume you and your mentor agree on why. Tell your mentor what you hope to gain. Your mentor may think you want career or management guidance.
  • Confirm the logistics: You may prefer live meetings, but this may be too tough with your mentor’s schedule. Ask explicitly how your mentor loves to meet – e.g., live, by phone or video. The meeting frequency should be confirmed. Confirm if it’s okay to email or call in-between booked meetings.
  • Help your mentor help you: You will still need to be specific about what you require from the mentorship even after you have decided on a goal and a schedule for sessions. Inevitably, your requirements will evolve as you progress through your mentoring relationship. The more detailed you can be, the easier it will be for your mentor to help you.
  • Schedule things on your own accord: When you first meet, choose a regular meeting day for lunch, such as the last Tuesday of the month. Make plans as you go. The previous discussion may need to be earlier to plan the next meeting. Determine when to contact the mentor. Set calendar alerts to confirm times and dates that work for both parties. Pay attention to your mentor.
  • Respect your mentor’s time: One way to show appreciation for your mentor’s time is to reply to their messages promptly. Coming to scheduled meetings on time and sticking to the agenda and time agreed upon are different ways to respect their time. Showing effort or outcomes in-between meetings is another way of letting your mentor know that time with you is well spent.

Conclusion

Like a good friend’s value, mentorship is better experienced than explained in words whoever is involved in a mentoring relationship, whether the mentee or the mentor, has the opportunity to grow personally and professionally as a result of their participation.

en_USEnglish