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Agent Simulator
The Power of Mentoring
The greatest sense of success and fulfillment you'll ever experience comes through helping others
BY FLOYD WICKMAN AND TERRI SJODIN
There are people who continue to prosper in difficult times. What makes them so successful? Is it intelligence, training, or perhaps natural talent?
It's none of these. It's a concept that dates back thousands of years. It's what we call the mentoring lifestyle.
In its simplest form, mentoring is people helping people, but our research indicates it goes much deeper than that. It's more spiritual, and considerably more focused. The power of people helping people in a one-on-one, personal mentoring program can be the key to achieving more in life than you ever dreamed possible.
The very fact that you see yourself as overextended, overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated, with little or no time to spare, is the best argument of all why you should consider becoming someone's mentor. The responsibility for looking after someone else gives us the will and energy to reach new heights we never dreamed were attainable--until we had to do it. Becoming a mentor will benefit not only your profile but also you because the mentoring lifestyle.
* Carries on your legacy - When you've created something or come up with something innovative, you naturally want the work to carry on after you're gone. Being a mentor gives you a way to extend your life experience.
* Keeps you sharp - The best possible way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. Dealing with a protoges in search of information is a great way for the mentor to stay sharp. Helping someone less experienced keeps you up to date on the things that you may need to pass down to your team or that you haven't reinforced in a while.
* Forces you to set an example, thereby enhancing performance - Serving as a mentor forces you to set an example for others, and that creates a better you. You can let your protoge down; you have to practice what you preach, and that spurs you to try harder. It's a great way to stay motivated, because the inspiration comes from within.
* Enhances your value to others -You'll increase your value to others if you share your wisdom and a desirable vision. In this constantly changing world, the ability to teach others is an asset. If you're successful in training and inspiring others, it's not uncommon for people to perceive you as knowledgeable and talented.
* Encourages personal creativity - Mentoring helps you exercise your personal creativity. Meeting with your prot forces you to offer a variety of options. When you're providing those options, you're challenging yourself to come up with the answers. You're thinking creatively, putting things together that you might not otherwise have had the incentive to associate.
* Provides a window to "get by giving" - There are untold riches to be acquired by living according to the adage. You get by giving. Two people can create synergy, working together to accomplish more than each one individually. You may not win a car as a result of becoming a mentor, but you may win the hearts of people who'll be forever grateful for your gift.
Today mentoring is experiencing a resurgence in general interest and merits special attention in our rapidly changing technological society. The perpetuation of positive influences in mentoring relationships is not confined to business but is present in other areas of society as well. The mentoring lifestyle--the age-old tradition of passing skills, knowledge, and information from one generation to the next--is the ultimate secret: It's better to give than to receive, and those who give are those who get.
Floyd Wickman is a real estate trainer and motivational speaker who has written books and produced audiovisual training programs. Terri Sjodin is a sales trainer and consultant. For more information on their book, Mentoring: A Success Guide for Mentors and Protoges, call 800/548-7733 or visit Floyd Wickman's Web site at floydwickman.com.