Ask a Mentor

By Peter Cullen

A mentor is generally considered to be a wise and trusted counsellor or teacher who is well connected, visionary and very supportive of you and your abilities.

There are an increasing number of companies providing internal mentoring roles for their employees to help them progress through the ranks and gain a greater understanding of themselves and their abilities. They will not only guide you through the rough water but also extend your boundaries to previously untried limits. They can offer direction, knowledge, contacts and basic information like the correct protocol on approaching a particular situation. Internal mentors will always put company loyalty first.

Mentors can also exist outside your workplace and will normally look at your career path on a broader scale. They can look at where you are now, where you want to go and how you are going to get there. They will consider a variety of companies and industries that may suit your attributes and suggest a way forward.

All types of business owners, CEO’s and managers use mentors to assist them expand and grow or work through troubled times. Some may also have a mentor to help with personal awareness and self development.

The role of a mentor is as variable as one business is to another but one thing is for sure, they also learn from every encounter. Your comments and reactions help them to understand what is happening in the business at your level. This may relate to morale, infrastructure, support, training, staff shortages, work loads and the direction a department may be heading. It can help the business make better decisions.

A good mentor will continually learn more about themselves from each encounter and what they need to do to improve.

Find someone successful and ask for their wisdom as a mentor.


Peter Cullen is the Managing Director of Mindforce Australia and is also the writer of a weekly inspirational column “Balancing Act” ,in the Career One section of Queensland’s Saturday’s Courier Mail. Peter is acknowledged and respected for his innovative activities which empower you to relieve and block the stress and tension which has become a part of our everyday life.

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