7 TIPS FOR WOMEN TO TAKE THE LEAD OF SOVEREIGNTY
“If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m a product of great mentoring; great coaching… coaches or mentors are very important”
Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo
When we throw light on the women leaders around the world, the most iconic faces like Hillary, Malala, Aung San Suu Kyi, Indra Nooyi, Janet Yellen, etc. come to the mind instantly. We no longer live in an age where men dominated the society, women leaders today have succeeded in breaking the stereotypical shackles efficiently.
The one thing that you would find common in all these women leaders is what they have learned from their experiences and how they have utilized the same knowledge to develop successful strategies to develop opportunities out of a hurdle. It takes a mammoth amount of commitment, passion, leadership experience and most of all mentoring to gain and refine your skills.
The art of mentoring should be taken seriously since it demands you to share guidance; it will keep your thinking process rust free. Here are few tips and tricks to ponder on before you decide to take the leap of faith;
- Get as much clarity as you can get on what your motive is to start mentoring. This is one topic that would overshadow everything in the long run. If you do not have the clarity on why have you started our as a mentor then the best option is to go back and rethink this idea of trying to acquire the best leadership skills. Having the quality and skill is not going to be enough, you will also have to care about the people and how would they reach their desired goal. And hence, having clarity on the question we started from is a must and only then you would be able to make a significant difference.
- Make a list of all your goals. There is a massive difference between making a decision to become a mentor and chalking out a plan to become one for it to happen. If you are looking to be a successful mentor, the very first thing that you will have to develop would be a purpose and that can be achieved by following the simple thumb rule ‘SMART’. ‘SMART’ signifies smart, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Make yourself a diary or a journal where you can chalk down your to-do lists or plans for the next 10 days or a month and accordingly take your plans forward. Once you start maintaining a diary you will realize the massive difference that it adds in the race to succeed.
- Start from the young minds, you will come across several groups, just out of the foster care, schools, colleges, etc. that are looking for mentors. Then there are other places to explore if you want to take it up a notch with new supervisors, women at the workplace, office staff, entrepreneurs, and women looking to go to work and more, choose a group you feel you can easily relate to and make the maximum impact.
- The way you think makes a difference as well, so try and be as much open-minded as possible for you, maybe more. Do not be biased or judgemental about the past of anyone; this can affect the relationship potential of you and the one who looks up to you.
- Do a lot of research, rely on data. Whatever group or agency you are looking to mentor, read a lot about them, their services, products, nature, history, etc. seek more opportunities that you can introduce them to, comprehend their needs and accordingly suggest them a plan.
- Keep all the possible challenges in mind, do not feel scared, push your limitations and you will see the wonders you can do. Remember the diary you made, go through your plans one more time and overcome all the hurdles that stand in front of you.
- Keep a balance maintained at all times, no matter what nature of the relationship you are building, it would require time. Every good mentor has excelled in relationships only because they gave it the time it needed. Sharpening the skills of being a good listener can prove to be a boon in this scenario, listen to the problems, analyze them and only after ample contemplation come to a conclusion.
If you have successfully managed to follow all these steps, there is no way you would not achieve the right balance of mentorship you were seeking. This is just the ideal time to make the move and walk on the path to guide others towards their set goals, help them succeed and make a difference. There is no time like now to start exploring the woman-leader inside you.
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