Cohen thinks highly of the industry since her husband works as a professional coach. She cautioned that we should be extra-vigilant since they provide services for more than just “humanitarian reasons.” By ensuring the above four qualities in our professional mentors, we can develop a worthwhile mentor-protégé relationship.
Protégés don’t always need to look for a potential mentor within their industry. Jean explains that studies have shown that it’s more important for mentors to listen and to empathize than to share common occupational background. She once mentored a young African-American girl. One day, her protégé cried that she was “sick and tired of being poor and Black.”
While Cohen could not personally relate to her protégé’s ethnic experience, she was able to empathize. She climbed her career ladder during a time of outright discrimination against female professionals. Furthermore, Cohen told her protégé about her own poor upbringing.
How old do you have to be to mentor someone? Should you be older? Cohen says that peers can provide a sounding board or an open ear. Mentors, however, should generally have life experience and should be adequately networked to access practical resources. “Usually this is commensurate with age,” she says.
Many progressive corporations now provide their staff with an optional mentoring or coaching program. Often mentors are from within the company, usually senior employees. Third-party professionals can sometimes provide more effective advice, especially if your help could be kept confidential. Either way, mentors and coaches can provide critical insight into navigating the tumultuous business world.
Long gone are the days of one-corporation, one-field careers. Nowadays, we must control our career paths. We need to weigh more facts from more sources. We need to be more conscious of our choices—and their consequences. Although the decisions may not be easier, the process can be more comfortable when working with a trusted mentor.
Ask your Human Resources department if they offer a mentoring or coaching program, or how you can help launch one. I am in the process of launching an internal counseling program with a large investment firm. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to e-mail me. I’m listening.
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