The importance of professional mentorship cannot be understated. From the perspective of both mentor and mentee, the process can be highly rewarding. As a mentor, it will help you refine leadership skills, expose you to perspectives of others outside of your “normal” bubble, and increase your professional network. As a mentee, you get the benefit of learning from others’ mistakes and successes, get advice on professional growth, and jump start your professional network.
A good mentor candidate is certainly someone with a decent amount of experience in the working world, but having the desire to help someone else, whether it is the sense of giving back to your particular profession, or just wanting to help a younger professional is even more important. Remember, not too long ago, you were in that position. What advice would you go back and give your younger self?
A good mentee candidate needs to have a desire to learn from others that have already been in their shoes. Advice for dealing with workplace dynamics, the importance of work/life balance, and many other nuggets can spring from regular mentor/mentee meetings. As a mentee, be prepared from the start…be ready to discuss with your mentor what you are hoping to get out of the experience, and make the effort to schedule regular periodic meetings.
Many professional organizations make programs like this part of their regular offering (here is one for the CFA Society of Atlanta). I highly suggest you look into it, no matter which side of the mentor/mentee spectrum you fall on. With just a little effort and time invested, you will experience a meaningful return.
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The assertions and statements in this blog post are based on the opinions of the author and Liquid Strategies. The examples cited in this paper are based on hypothetical situations and should only be considered as examples of potential trading strategies. They do not take into consideration the impact that certain economic or market factors have on the decision making process. Past performance is no indication of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.