What is a GOOD Mentor? || Port Alberni, Ucluelet, Tofino Investment Advisor

As an investment advisor working in Port Alberni, Ucluelet and Tofino, it is the relationships I develop with my clients, my family, my friends and people in my community that at the top of the list of important components of my job.  I believe that my role as an investment advisor can be compared to that of a mentor; someone who genuinely cares about guiding and helping others to succeed in some aspect of their life.  Having said that, I’d like touch on what I believe it means to be a good mentor. 
 

Being a mentor doesn’t require any special skills, but a good mentor is a person who provides a good role model.  I’ve made my own list of qualities that I feel are important to be a good mentor, and here is my own personal guide, by which I strive to live up to. 

Mentors are:

• good listeners, maintaining eye contact and giving their mentees their full and undivided attention
• able to guide and help their mentees find their own life direction
• practical and can give insight about setting objectives, goals and priorities
• able to share knowledge and educate about life and their own careers
• insightful, guiding their mentees to make good decisions to help them avoid making mistakes
• accessible to their mentees
• able to offer constructive criticism, focusing on the mentee’s actions, never their character
• empathetic, supportive and encouraging
• specific in their advice
• genuinely concerned and care about their mentee’s progress and personal development
• able to guide their mentee towards their own success
• well respected in their professional and community and demonstrate integrity and honesty with all their relationships

The relationship between a good mentor and mentee is a very rewarding one.  Both parties benefit from a positive interaction that is mutually satisfying and beneficial.  The mentor’s reward is attaining a sense of accomplishment,  knowing that they helped the mentee achieve their reward, the right path to success. 

As you look back upon your life, was there someone who mentored or coached you along the way?  Did they make a huge difference to you and your life?  Our path in life is selected as a result of our actions and decisions, which in turn have been influenced by someone who inspired us, or mentored us, along the way.  Which path did you, or will you, choose and who helped you along the way?

Photos by Stirling Images Photography