As I was playing chess during my lunch hour yesterday and mercilessly dominating the game (Norm, BNI’s CEO, who I was playing against might possibly tell a different story but don’t believe him . . . after all, this is my blog), I was struck by the thought of how valuable of an experience it was when I coached my son’s school chess club a few years back.
It’s common knowledge that if you want to improve your skill, then you should teach someone else. By teaching young people the rudiments of chess strategy, it inevitably made me focus on improving my own game. It’s the same with networking. When you become a networking mentor for someone else, it will improve your networking skills by acting as a refresher for what you’ve learned and it gets you to refocus your efforts on areas you may have forgotten.
Perhaps there is someone who already considers you a mentor, or maybe you know someone you’d like to mentor–someone who reminds you of yourself when you were just getting started in business. If so, don’t let the opportunity to be an active mentor pass you by. When you selflessly share your wealth of knowledge to help others succeed and help them avoid making the same mistakes you made, not only will they benefit greatly but so will you.
Do you have an inspiring story about someone who has been a mentor to you, or someone that you’ve mentored? If so, leave a comment and share it with everyone else.
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Collaboration, Connections, Emotional Intelligence, Giving, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Education, Self Development, Social Capital. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.4 Responses to “Become a Networking Mentor”
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February 13th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I am currently mentoring two people. One is very specifically for networking and the other is evolving into almost a life coaching situation.
For my networking coaching “client,” I have told her that it is a learning situation for me, too! And would she please help me learn more about the different views people have of networking. It is a new pairing, but I know that it’s already helped us both.
The other friend is currently in a transition in her life. She is “older” (61) and is looking to make a career change. During our last meeting, she sincerely asked me if it is too late for her to do anything with her life.
That almost broke my heart. Next meeting, we’re going to talk about a LOT of people who accomplished amazing things later in her life!
February 19th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Hi. I adopt at least three young people during a year to mentor. My mentorship exceeds networking but because this is my area of expertise I focus a lot on mentorship. Recently, I completed a year with a promising guy who used to be in drugs. Today he has a CV and a career path. He is study marketing and management. The other day I received this message from him? Karl do you think that I have good networking and sales skills. My response: Your sales skills and networking skills are great but you need to review your network because you lack people who assist you where you can be remember you must see how you can help them.
Like you say….it is a great experience and helps you to reinvent yourself.
Take care
karl
February 19th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Hello Dr. Misner,
First I have to say, you have been a wonderful mentor for my growing organization, without you even knowing.
In August I started a group called WAHM Addicts Enterprises LLC.
Our mission, vision, and goals states:
Mission:
WAHM Addicts Enterprises, LLC’s mission is to help preserve and improve the future of the American small business, work at home businesses and the quality of family life by providing a platform online, for encouraging, supporting, training, advertising, uniting, and networking for small business owners and work at home persons across our great nation. Providing this platform, we will broaden the work at home businesses’ markets and income potential. By means of offline local area Chapters we will continue our efforts offline creating a more rounded business market and experience for the work at home person. In our efforts, we will raise funds to help charitable events, organizations, and selected people in our communities through our WAHM Addicts Hands of Help organization dba WAHM Addicts Enterprises, LLC
Vision:
WAHM Addicts Enterprises, LLC’s vision is to see a secured future for today’s work at home person and small business owners, allowing for quality family experiences and a broader income potential, while giving back to our local communities through charitable events.
Goal:
WAHM Addicts Enterprises LLC hopes to improve the quality of life and business ownership of families across the nation while touching the lives of families who need our support and friendship.
We have come great lengths in our pursuit, I say “our” because this is not about me the owner and founder, this is about an entire network striving for the same goals.
I never even heard of social networking before 2008, nor heard of BNI. Cruising the internet and learning from various sources your organization kept popping up in conversations. I searched your group out and I was amazed how much your own goals and what drove you to start your networking organization paralleled my own. I too am a situational extrovert.
I have a much smaller niche as I strive to help work at home people. But the foundations are the same.
I have since read many articles you have written and you have helped me focus and steer my group’s direction. Thank you for your sound advice and information.
I would like to share a couple of testimonials from my own group on what “we” accomplish. ~~~~~
02-06-09 – Renee of http://www.forgiftsnthings.biz/ http://www.getrtsupplies.biz/ wrote:
Well I don’t have to ask you how you are doing business wise when I can see the painstaking but fantastic work that you have put into this site!!!!!
You have taken WAHM to an even greater level and I am proud to be a member. Your site contains many elements, which are useful and cohesive…the classifieds, the groups, auctions, blogs, and more…
I appreciate what you have done and thank you for taking on this challenge on behalf of all ‘work at home mom and men’, for providing us with tools to improve our business, the avenue to share ideas, a place to forge new relationships and a path to find motivation.
WAHM is a fantastic group to belong to, it gave me so much hope when I felt despaired because the business was not doing too well. I have made some beautiful friends… especially Jo and yourself..
Tami wrote: I am a square peg trying to fit myself in a round hole!! WAHM Addicts help me figure that out. It was not anything that anyone said or did. But the start was when you asked me to join your leadership team!!
So in taking what I’ve learned here at WAHM Addicts and Mentoring for free and really looking at what I want for myself. I have decided to serve others, in what capacity, I do not know yet, but I am starting by bringing others with the same philosophy as we have to us.
So unknown to you, you have lite the fire under my butt. In more ways then one.
Lisa wrote:
I was invited to join WAHM Addicts, so I thought I would give it a try.. This has turned out to be one of the best business and personal decisions I have made. I can’t even begin to say what a blessing this site has been not only to my business, but to me on a personal level. I have received so many tips and tools that have assisted me in making my site more professional looking. I feel that my site has grown and I owe a lot of it to this site and the ideas I have been given. While I think most of us joined for the networking and the opportunity to promote our business, I think we have found so much more at WAHM Addicts. I have made many, many business contacts and several friends that I believe I will have for a lifetime. This group of ladies are not only friendly and caring, they are smart, encouraging and enthusiastic about MY business. I have never met such a great group of business owners who go out of their way to help you grow and promote your business. They are also ready to help network for you by helping you promote your business. For anyone looking for a “home” I suggest WAHM Addicts. You can get it all here! Support, networking, contacts, ideas, etc… but most of all FRIENDS who will help guide, support and encourage you through the steps of seeing your business grow!
Thanks,
Lisa
As you can see we have the start of something wonderful happening. My dream is to take us offline and start Chapters as you have done. I want to create a presence in every major city of the US. Helping, supporting, training, and networking to whom ever needs it. We just have a slight difference. We use our main site at http://www.wahmaddicts.com as our hub. Our social network is located at http://wahmaddictssocial.ning.com
To have a company as large as your own to endorse ours would be amazing. Someday soon, I hope to find the right person who sees our vision and wants to run with us. Creating a network in areas the other does not touch at this point.
Thank you again for being a wonderful and on target mentor.
Sincerely,
Krista Clyburn
Founder WAHM Addicts Enterprises LLC
April 15th, 2009 at 6:52 am
After reading through the article, I feel that I need more info. Could you suggest some more resources please?