Many times, when we want to start a business, we are paralyzed by what to do and/or how to do it. Even when we already have an idea of how to do it, we immediately ask ourselves if this is really the best way to do it; if it is what will differentiate us in the market or if it is something that will really add value to our customers and at the same time to our business in a sustainable way. Sure, we can spend years planning and experimenting, going through programs or even master's degrees to get an idea of how it is done; but we still fall into doubt. How much time and resources have we spent on trial and error? Is this the most efficient way to achieve the objectives of our venture?
At this point we should ask ourselves if we need the support of a mentor to come and guide us and help us in the task of guiding our companies and making them grow.
In business, a mentor is someone who can offer you guidance, motivation, share their experience, and, therefore, the most effective and efficient route to achieve our goals. They are those people who have already reached where we want to get to; they are those who have gone through similar experiences to ours and who can guide us towards the road to success.
In other words, a mentor is a person who influences the entrepreneur in a positive way. The mentor is more skilled or experienced and offers advice, support and guidance to facilitate the entrepreneur's learning and development. The mentor acts as a confidant, consultant and advisor over a period of time and provides support in solving problems or achieving specific goals.
According to Forbes magazine, good mentors should have the following characteristics:
Do not use labels: They do not recognize themselves as mentors or teachers. They do not feel superior to anyone.
They pay attention and do not talk for the sake of talking: They must know how to listen, and not only tell their own anecdotes. They must be able to know and understand the other person's reality, and even be able to put themselves in the other person's place.
They do not look for logic: For them, not everything is logical, not everything is a square and they use anecdotes and experiences to convey this to the entrepreneur. The latter is key, as they manage to bring a differential value in favor of their minds, sharing both learning and lessons learned.
Does not require commitment: This type of person is interested in the entrepreneur learning what he/she is teaching him/her.
They empathize and do not overestimate themselves: Mentors will see the entrepreneur as someone with whom they can share their experiences, and never as someone inferior to them. They have already gone through the whole development process and therefore try to put themselves in the entrepreneur's shoes.
There are several opinions and theories. However, what is certain is that when we are in doubt about something specific, what brings us closer to reality is data. If we take a look at the Forbes 500 list, for example, of the richest people in the world, and do a little research, we realize that most successful entrepreneurs had at least one mentor. Among them we can mention Bill Gates who had Ed Roberts, Oprah Winfrey had Mary Duncan, Warren Buffet had Benjamin Graham, Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson, Mark Zuckerberg had Steve Jobs himself; and the list goes on.
We can even look at those who have left a mark on the world and who were not necessarily among the richest people: Isaac Newton had Isaac Barrow, Albert Einstein had Max Talmey and Steven Hawking had Dennis W. Sciama. These people, although not directly linked to the business world, surely found wealth in their mentors and knew how to make the most of it to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, one of the important points during a mentoring is that at the beginning of the relationship the mentor is clear about what the entrepreneur thinks he/she needs and what he/she expects him/her to contribute, as well as the entrepreneur is clear about what the mentor thinks he/she can contribute and the attitude he/she expects from him/her. There must be willingness on both sides, the mentor must dedicate time and effort to his work and the entrepreneur must listen and internalize the information. In addition, they must be clear about the scope of the mentoring, since it is much more common for an entrepreneur that the personal and professional spheres are intermingled.
The director of "Mentores por Chile", Roshni Uttanmchandani, highlights the following characteristics as key to good mentoring:
Consistency: Do not let more than one month pass between meetings.
Trust: There must be chemistry, trust and credibility between the mentor and the mentee.
Have a clear objective: The entrepreneur's needs are infinite, but he/she must know how to prioritize.
Entrepreneurship belongs to the entrepreneur: It is the entrepreneur who must ultimately make the decisions, not the mentor.
Be clear about where the venture is going and what priority it has for the trainee:
Many may wonder what motivates mentors, since there is no financial reward for them. However, in the end there will always be a possibility of doing business, since the mentor will not only be accumulating more experience but will be expanding his or her network of contacts. In addition, for those mentors who have been working for many years, hearing fresh ideas from entrepreneurs injects energy and dynamism into their day-to-day work. They also find it comforting on a deeper level as they are teaching and giving back to other generations what they have learned and achieved.
After all, mentoring is a process, not the implementation of a methodology or a formula. Mentoring is a key factor in achieving organizational success and not making the same mistakes that someone else has made in the past.
Marco Vinicio Arias and Gloriana Solano.
Edited by Natalia Rodríguez.
