How am I a mentor? It is my belief that the one becomes a mentor not through traditional academia or by “studying,” but by experiencing life’s “school.”  It is connected to thought leadership, humanity, interpersonal skills and communication. Mobilizing these talents combined with life experience makes mentoring the most effective. I have personally experienced a number of personal, family and professional transitions spanning several decades. While no single person can claim to be an expert in life, aren’t we all striving for it?

Over several decades, I have enjoyed and gained the trust and confidence of all kinds of people. Through this, I discovered many parallels between mentoring and advisory, the most defining and significant being the element of human contact. They are all about the relationship and humanity. In fact, the human dimension of the relationship and the empathy that often emerges is another way to be a consigliere. 

Living abroad in today’s global world is, for executives, more the rule than the exception. The preparation of this move, including the understanding of culture and the challenges and rules of the new country is not trivial. This can be hugely facilitated by a few mentoring sessions.

When a company is acquired by a foreign shareholder, it can be accompanied by both cultural and business practice changes that can be a source of uneasiness and even conflict. Mentoring sessions can assist in this transitional time.

Transitioning into a new job that includes global responsibilities requires a major change in perspective. Whether in management, marketing, sales or production, preparing oneself for this transition can be greatly facilitated by exchanges with an experienced global leader.

Leadership

We live in a world in which the word “leadership” is used in an innumerable amount of contexts. As a result,  it can feel impossible to determine what the term and/or role actually covers. It is my belief that the various forms of leadership are often disparate.

However, life will expose individuals to leadership challenges of all kinds in a number of different situations. Whether you are a stay at home parent or a CEO, everyone is their own type of leader. Unfortunately, the latter has become so prominent that there is a common belief that without being a CEO, one has not achieved a successful career. This is false.

The most important step is to identify the best form of leadership within a person. In doing this, individuals can avoid mistakes and even conflict. As helpful as self-help books may seem, they are not often individualized.

What are your leadership skills and how can you use them in your personal and/or professional lives? This is a fundamental question that can be simplified through mentoring.

Professional Transitions

The days of a linear career with the same company for a lifetime are behind us. While it certainly still exists, this kind of career is exceptional, especially among entrepreneurs. Key questions in this practice of mentoring include:

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts are part of life. While some resolve naturally, others are much more serious and require assistance. While bosses can be hugely helpful in situations of conflict, they can also be destructive and in some cases, the source of the conflict itself. Harassment is another example of conflict that exists in a variety of forms.

Ensuring that one has the tools and abilities to demand the respect that he or she deserves, which can be especially complicated in the workplace environment, is necessary and certainly not trivial.

Well extreme situations may require additional assistance (legal, etc.), sometimes situations can be addressed at the level where the conflict emerges. The latter is a situation in which mentoring can be extremely helpful while also providing support that is sometimes missing at home or in the workplace.