At its best, mentoring can change lives. It creates a safe space for the mentor and the mentee to share experience and wisdom. It’s an opportunity for the mentee to be inspired by someone who has walked a similar path and overcome the challenges that the mentee now faces. It allows the mentee to see the challenges from a new perspective, builds confidence, and encourages people to move forwards on a path that is right for them.
The only guarantee when we step up into a bigger role, grow a business or try something new is that not everything is going to go swimmingly. Failure is never comfortable but if we embrace it instead of pushing it away, it will have a much smaller hold on us and the lives we want to live.
I was in my mid-20s, working for a large Financial Services company in Liverpool and had recently taken over a really challenging team from another manager who had been “let go”. It was one of those great career development opportunities – although I did wonder if perhaps, they had just not been able to find anyone else! I remember going home one Friday evening after surviving my first week as a new manager thinking about how I had no idea what I was doing – and that I needed to read a “How To Be A Manager” book.
Female entrepreneurs are a vital part of the UK’s business community, says Denise Chilton Executive business coach, Denise Chilton, is one of only 90 people to be accepted onto the Santander UK Breakthrough Women Business Leaders’ Mentoring Programme. Powered by Women Ahead, a social enterprise working with organisations to improve workplace diversity and inclusion, the pioneering mentoring programme will see…