I thought I would write about this because a lot of people have asked if I offer “paid coaching” or a “mentorship” program and I don’t. I’ve considered offering it but it’s not a plan of mine right now. However, I thought I should write about the importance of choosing a mentor to help you along the way in life and in business.
The Importance Of Choosing the RIGHT Mentor
I’m running a bit behind today, everything has been a bit behind and off track. My plans have pushed into each other and everything I had scheduled today was pushed back. Which is why I’m sitting here at 11:30 PM on a Friday night hurrying up to get this blog post in for the 31 days of blogging challenge.
The reason everything is off track today is because I made a promise to a kid that I would go to a dance recital, so not only did I spend about 2 hours in drive time, I sat through a miserable 2 hours of watching dancing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love dancing and I think there are many great dancers out there with an amazing talent. I bet the dancers I saw tonight had talent as well, but you couldn’t really tell.
Apparently tonight was special, it not only was a dance recital but it was the 25th year of the dance teacher being in business, which I find quite shocking to be honest. I guess this is a good thing for many teachers in a variety of niches out there, because you can be an awful teacher, and teach very basic stuff and still be in business.
It was bad. So bad.
There were little kids there that had no idea what they were doing except look cute and wave to everybody while pretending to dance. To me, that’s expected and understandable, and also pretty cute and funny. However, the older kids who clearly were advanced enough, also had no idea what they were doing. The choreography was a disaster, the steps and moves were awful, but the parents of these kids were mesmerized by their kids being on stage, “learning to dance”.
6 months of classes, lots of money spent, and a horrendous recital to show for it, but miraculously celebrating 25 years of being a dance teacher…how the hell?
I’m sharing this story with you because….
This isn’t something that just happens with dance classes, this is something that happens in various occupations, different industries, all across the world.
Have you ever had a job where the manager training you was a complete moron and you knew that you were going to be much more efficient and knowledgeable?
Have you ever seen mentors and coaches/teachers in the internet marketing industry trying to sell you on “some secret method”? (The secret is, there is no secret.)
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Bottom Line
Your mentor, or teacher doesn’t have to be the best in the world but you should be looking for someone that can help you progress, going from point A to point B without looking like an absolute fool.
If you play sports, chances are you will have more than one coach in your life. You play baseball or basketball, as you get older you continue getting different coaches. Some coaches are only qualified to coach at certain levels. The same is true when it comes to business, if you find a business coach or a business mentor whether it is free or paid, you will end up finding different people at different stages in your career or venture.
Choosing a bad coach…
If you choose a bad coach, or an incompetent coach, you will suffer. Or worse, you will be like those parents of the dance students that think their kids are doing great and getting good instruction in the world of dance, while everybody that truly knows a thing or two can see right through the BS teaching / coaching.
Honestly, nobody is going to be there to tell you when it’s time to move on and elevate. Only you can be honest with yourself about where you stand and if you’re ready to move on to additional training or coaching.
Finding a mentor can be difficult. I didn’t have one for a long time until I already reached a certain level of success. You don’t have to pay for mentorship, you just need to find someone that will be able to guide you along the way. Sometimes if you’re lucky enough, that can be a relative, a friend, someone you meet at a networking event.
Just don’t choose incapable teachers. #endrant
