We have all felt it before. That feeling. It’s a bit like being stuck on a hamster wheel. Peddling as fast as you can, giving all the energy that you have got and still not moving forward. Well, truth be told, sometimes giving it your all is just not enough. That isn’t to say that you are not enough. Not at all! But sometimes we all need some support, guidance and wisdom to help us to grow.

A good coach or mentor can completely transform your career, help you to grow as an individual and empower you to reach your fullest potential. As spring comes in, read on to find out how mentoring could help you sow the seeds of your success.

Skill Development

One essential facet of mentoring and coaching is skill development. Even if your mentor is not an expert in your field, they are able to give you the tools to progress your capabilities. For instance, one common coaching tactic is to encourage you to lay out a road map of how you will achieve your goals. In a research review Beronda L. Montgomery states that a mentoring roadmap, “consists of identifiable stations along a planned career trajectory. The mapping out of these stations is based on the consideration of driving questions and the path from one station to the next comprises what is referred to as the drafting or charting of a complete mentoring roadmap.” Through techniques like these a coach can help you to identify and put into action the goals that really matter most to you.

Networking Opportunities

Mentors and coaches, especially those who work in a similar field to your own, can connect you to a wider professional network that you may be able to access as an individual. Networking is a well-known method used by the successful to get ahead but research shows that nurturing your professional community can also heighten career satisfaction. In a study on academic communities Frank M. Perna, Bart M. Lerner and Michael T. Yure found that,

“Canonical discriminate analyses by gender and mentor status further indicated that faculty with mentors experiences more job satisfaction and communicative support but less communicative apprehension than nonmentored faculty. The findings regarding communicative measures indicated that mentored faculty experienced a more satisfying collegial atmosphere than nonmentored faculty.”

Mentoring and coaching can be excellent tools in helping you to progress your career, make impressive achievements and a lasting impact on your industry. But more importantly it can increase your happiness at work and help you to feel more connected to your professional community.

If you are interested in increasing your success and happiness within your organisation, consider implementing a coaching or mentoring scheme. SUMAC makes the process fast and easy for companies big and small and can offer you technical support throughout. Book a free demo with us today to find out more about how we can help you to increase employee success and satisfaction within your company.

Works Cited

Perna, Frank M. Bart M. Lerner and Michael T. Yure ‘Mentoring and Career Development Among University Faculty’ (1995)

Beronda L. Montgomery ‘Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap and Developing a Supportive Network for Strategic Career Advancement’ (2017)